Delhi: AAP MLA Raaj Kumar Anand Likely To Replace Rajendra Pal Gautam As Social Welfare Minister
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Raaj Kumar Anand may take charge as the new social welfare minister of Delhi.
New Delhi: Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday recommended the name of Patel Nagar MLA Raaj Kumar Anand to Delhi Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena for social welfare minister, as reported by news agency PTI.
Have recommended to Delhi Lt Governor name of Patel Nagar MLA Raaj Kumar Anand for social welfare minister: CM Arvind Kejriwal
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 19, 2022
Delhi CM said that the Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDCD) has done exemplary work in the last seven years and termed the show cause notice to its vice-chairperson Jasmine Shah wrong.
"During coronavirus, we had started a scheme to provide free ration to those without ration cards. The DDCD had come up with an e-coupon system to implement it. Earlier, the CATS ambulance used to take 55 minutes but during the pandemic, the DDCD redesigned the system, procured new ambulances and brought down the waiting time to 18 minutes," the chief minister said.
"The DDCD is behind the robust electric vehicle policy, formulated with stakeholders after rigorous consultations over a period of one to one-and-a-half years," Kejriwal added.
On Monday, the Delhi government's planning department gave a show-cause notice to Shah over charges of "misusing public office" by acting as the "official spokesperson" of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), sources had said, as quoted by PTI.
The action came following a complaint by BJP leader and West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma.
The AAP had termed the notification "yet another attack on the Delhi government due to its rising graph in Gujarat".
"Cabinet has jurisdiction to question him. It (showcause notice) is wrong," the chief minister said.
Raaj Kumar, who comes from the Jatav community, got the ticket in the 2019 assembly elections. According to the affidavit filed by Raj Kumar Anand in 2020, he has movable and immovable assets of 78 crores. A case is also registered against him under sections 325, 323, 427 and 34 of IPC.
Rajendra Pal had the responsibility of SC ST, Women and Child Development, Co-operative Societies and Gurdwara elections apart from the Ministry of Social Welfare.
(With PTI Inputs)