Tussle between senior & junior IAS gets bureaucracy riled up!

Jaipur: The Department of Personnel (DoP) is currently reviewing complaints lodged by two IAS officers against each other before initiating any actions. The case involves Naveen Jain, a member of the 2001 batch, and his junior counterpart, T Shubhamangala, who joined the service in 2018. The conflict arose during their tenure in the education department, where Jain served as the Secretary and Chairman of the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SMSA), while Shubhamangala held the position of Project Director within the same programme.

However, the repercussions of this clash extended beyond the department, affecting the welfare of the children involved. The lapse of a matching grant exceeding Rs 100 crore from the Government of India in March resulted in thousands of 9th and 10th-grade students being deprived of workbooks, while visually impaired students were unable to access essential ‘braille books’.

The SMSA is a pivotal project of the Union government, providing vital funding for initiatives impacting countless children. Under this, 60% of the funds are allocated by the Centre, and the Education Secretary assumes the role of Chairman, while a full-time State Project Director (SPD) is also appointed to oversee its operations.

Naveen Jain was appointed Secretary of the Department in May 2023, while T. Shubhamangala became State Project Director (SPD) in July of the same year. It is reported that a clash erupted between them from the outset, with the SPD making decisions without consulting the chairman. Despite attempts to address the issue, including intervention from Chief Secretary Usha Sharma, conflicts persisted.

When the situation escalated, CS Sharma forwarded Shubhamangala’s complaint against Jain to the Department of Personnel (DoP). Jain responded with a detailed seventeen-point rebuttal, highlighting Shubhamangala’s alleged faults and immaturity. In turn, Shubhamangala provided her perspective on the issues raised by Jain.

The matter is currently under review by the DoP, with input awaited from the new Secretary of Education, Krishna Kunal. Administrative experts attribute the conflict to appointing an inexperienced junior officer to a significant position, sparking discussions within the state’s bureaucracy.