Chouhan backs Cong MP, asks state to hold DISHA meetings separately

Union Minister of Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan has intervened in support of Ambala Congress MP Varun Chaudhary, after the latter objected to the Haryana Government’s move to hold District Grievance Redressal Committee and Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meetings jointly.

Following Chaudhary’s complaint, the Rural Development Ministry has written to the Haryana Government, directing it to conduct DISHA meetings independently, in line with the committee’s guidelines that mandate an MP to chair the meeting.

DISHA committees are responsible for monitoring 101 Central government schemes across 37 departments, including MGNREGS, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), PM-KISAN, AMRUT 2.0, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and MPLADS.

Earlier, the Haryana Development and Panchayats Department, through a memo dated July 3, had instructed all Deputy Commissioners to hold DISHA and district grievance redressal meetings on the same day. The order stated that both meetings “shall be attended” by the state minister (chairperson of the grievance redressal committee) and the MP concerned (chairperson of the DISHA committee) and that DCs should “personally invite both chairpersons and the MLAs concerned.”

Objecting to this directive, Varun Chaudhary had written to Chouhan on September 25, terming the state’s instructions “totally against the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.”

He had pointed out that a state minister elected as an MLA from outside the district concerned would end up attending and chairing the DISHA meeting, even though “there is no connection between the agendas of the Grievances Committee and DISHA Committee.”

“When a state minister sits along with an Opposition MP, it will be evident that the district administration will listen to the minister,” Chaudhary wrote. “Such instructions for joint meetings of both the grievance committee and DISHA committee are issued only in Haryana because 50% of MPs are from the Opposition. These instructions are passed to undermine the Opposition.”

Acting on the complaint, Joint Director (DISHA), Department of Rural Development, Umesh Kumar Ram, has now written to the Commissioner and Secretary, Development and Panchayats Department, Haryana, asking them to issue revised instructions.

In a letter dated November 6, Chouhan informed Chaudhary that his ministry had written to the state government “to issue necessary instructions to ensure that DISHA committee meetings are convened independently.”