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Governor Appointments
Downplaying the Kerala government's criticism and opposition to the draft UGC guidelines, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Thursday said everyone's views will be considered before a final version is released. Arlekar also said that India being a democracy, "everybody has the right to say anything over anything in this country and there was nothing wrong with it". The Kerala assembly had on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution urging the central government to withdraw the draft UGC guidelines and issue a revised version. Arlekar said that all the views about the UGC draft guidelines should go to the proper person or proper platform" and they will discuss it. "It is still a draft, not the final version. So, considering everybody's different views, they will come out with the final document," the Governor told reporters here after he called on former Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan at his residence. Arlekar inquired Achuthanandan's family members about his health. He said
Former Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla has been appointed the governor of strife-torn Manipur, ex-Army chief Vijay Kumar Singh is the new Mizoram governor while Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has been shifted to Bihar as part of gubernatorial appointments effected by President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday. Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has been named the governor of Kerala in place of Khan, according to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Arif Mohammed Khan has been appointed as Bihar Governor, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a statement. President Murmu has accepted the resignation of Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, it said. Mizoram Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati has been appointed as the new Odisha Governor in place of Das, the statement said. These appointments will take effect from the dates they will assume charge of their respective offices, it added.
Amid growing instances of run-ins between governors and opposition-ruled state governments, senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi on Monday said the governor's post should either be abolished or a person of stature who is not into petty politics be appointed by consensus. Singhvi, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha unopposed from Telangana last week, also weighed in on the repeated standoffs between the Chair and the opposition in both Houses of Parliament and called for reforms to ensure the Chair is not partisan. In an interview with PTI, the four-time MP said a very big failing of this government is that it "demeaned, devalued and diminished" every institution and there were several instances of governors acting as a second chief executive or a "second sword in the same scabbard". "Either the governor's post be abolished or by consensus a person of stature who is not into petty politics be appointed," Singhvi asserted. "Will a person like Gopalkrishna Gandhi do such a thing? I
President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday said the governors are the link between the Centre and states in the federal system while Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said the governors should not hesitate in seeking information from the state governments. In her closing remarks at the two-day conference of the governors, Murmu said smooth functioning of all institutions is very important for public welfare and overall development. According to a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan, she said the discussions took place in the conference with the aim of creating better coordination among various institutions. "The governors are the link between the Centre and the states in the federal system of India," the statement said. President Murmu expressed confidence that cooperative federalism and mutual coordination of the central institutions will be promoted as per the suggestions given by the groups of governors. She said the governors are responsible for setting an ideal example for the
BJP veteran Gulab Chand Kataria was on Wednesday sworn in as the Governor of Punjab and Administrator Chandigarh. Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu administered the oath of office to Kataria at a ceremony in Raj Bhavan. Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, former Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore and several Punjab ministers, including Harpal Singh Cheema and Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, were also present. The 79-year-old Kataria took the oath in Hindi. Kataria replaces Banwarilal Purohit, who tendered his resignation in February. Before being appointed as the Punjab governor, Kataria was the governor of Assam. Hailing from Udaipur, Kataria had served as Rajasthan home minister twice -- from 2004 to 2008 and 2015 to 2018--and had also served as Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly. The BJP veteran had also served as education, public works panchayati raj, rural development and disaster management minister. Kataria, a
La Ganesan was sworn-in as the Nagaland governor on Monday. Ganesan succeeded Prof Jagdish Mukhi, the Governor of Assam, who was holding additional charge of Nagaland from September 2021 to February 14 this year. He becomes the 21st governor of the poll-bound north eastern state. Assembly election in Nagaland is slated to be held on February 27. Ganesan was earlier the governor of Manipur since August 2021 and had held additional charge of West Bengal from July to November 2022. He was administered the oath by Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Songkhupchung Serto at the Raj Bhavan here in the presence of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton, Speaker Sharingain Longkumer, cabinet ministers, Director General of Police Lokayukta Banuo Z. Jamir, senior bureaucrats and officers of the state.
Former Union Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla on Saturday took oath as the 29th Governor of Himachal Pradesh at Raj Bhawan here. Shukla was administered the oath of office and secrecy by acting Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court Justice Sabina. He took oath in Sanskrit. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was also present at the swearing-in ceremony. Himachal Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena read out the warrant of appointment. Before taking oath, Shukla performed 'yajana' along with family members. Later, interacting with the media, the governor said that it was a high constitutional post and he would work in coordination with the state government. Expressing gratitude to the President of India for his appointment, the governor said that he would work in accordance with the Constitution and complete the work started by previous governors. He also said Himachal Pradesh is a leading state in field of education and now he would contribute towards quality .
Ramesh Bais on Saturday took oath as the 22nd Governor of Maharashtra, replacing Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Bais was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court S V Gangapurwala at the Raj Bhavan here. Bais took oath in Marathi. State Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was present at the swearing-in ceremony. Koshyari, who served as the Maharashtra governor from September 2019, resigned last week after a controversial tenure.
Vinai Kumar Saxena will take oath as the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi on Thursday at a ceremony at the Raj Niwas which is expected to be attended by hundreds of guests, including Union ministers. Invitations for the ceremony have been sent to more than 500 dignitaries, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues, high court judges, Union ministers, MPs and MLAs, official sources said on Wednesday. Saxena, 64, will be administered the oath of office by Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court Vipin Sanghi at the ceremony scheduled to begin at 11 AM. Saxena, who held the post of chairperson of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), was appointed the Lt Governor of Delhi earlier this week, following resignation by his predecessor Anil Baijal due to "personal reasons". Ten Union ministers, including Home minister Amit Shah, have been invited to the oath-taking ceremony, sources said.