Overseeing Health while preparing landmark Budget
Jaipur: TheAkhil Arora, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Finance, has been given an extra responsibility by the government. He will take charge of the Medical & Health Department for a week as Principal Secretary of the department - Gayatri Rathore - has gone on year end leave. Assigning such additional responsibilities is a common practice where officers are assigned tasks as needed by the Personnel Department.
However, it is noteworthy that this additional task has been given to Akhil Arora while he is fully occupied with preparations for the current government’s second budget. Despite his busy schedule, the government has specifically chosen him for this role, overlooking other officers. This is a significant and remarkable decision.
been engaged in the GST Council meeting held in Jaisalmer for the past week. The preparations and arrangements for this meeting, led by Arora and his team, have been widely praised. Top officials from the Finance Ministry, upon returning to Delhi, described the 55th GST Council meeting in Jaisalmer as the “best” in every aspect. Notably, Rajasthan had hosted the tenth meeting of the Council in 2017, and for the second time, the meeting was held outside Delhi, in Jaisalmer, at the suggestion of the then Central Finance Secretary, Sanjay Malhotra. The successful execution of the meeting validated Malhotra’s suggestion, largely due to the efforts of Akhil Arora’s team, which included CCT Ravi Kumar Surpur and the young Jaisalmer collector, Pratap Singh.
It is also worth noting that Akhil Arora was the Principal Secretary of the Medical & Health Department in 2020. Moreover, even after assuming the reins of the Finance Department, he continued to hold the additional charge of the Medical & Health Department for several months in 2021.
This indicates that he is well-versed in the workings of the department and has ample experience in handling its responsibilities. Therefore, despite his busy schedule with the Finance Department, managing the additional responsibility will not pose a challenge for him.
Additionally, it is important to mention that Akhil Arora is making history by preparing the fifth consecutive state budget while heading the Finance Department in two separate governments.
