Chandigarh, Feb 9: The Punjab government has placed two senior IAS officers under suspension following an inquiry into alleged procedural lapses during the procurement of smartphones for the state’s social welfare initiatives. The orders, issued by Chief Secretary KAP Sinha, cited specific disciplinary rules governing the conduct of All India Services officers.
The suspension affects Kamal Kishore Yadav, a 2003-batch officer who served as Administrative Secretary for Industries and Commerce, and Jaspreet Singh of the 2014 batch, who was the Managing Director of Punjab Infotech. The administrative action stems from the acquisition of over 27,000 devices intended for anganwadi workers under the central government’s Poshan Abhiyan.
“Both the officers are suspended under the provision of rule 3(1) of All India Services (discipline and appeals) rules 1969,” the Chief Secretary’s order read.
Internal reports suggest that the tender process managed by Punjab Infotech was not properly executed, leading to legal complications that drew the attention of the state’s top political leadership. In addition to the suspensions, the government has withdrawn the charge from 1994-batch officer Vikas Partap Singh, who was overseeing the Social Security, Women and Child Development department.
“The tender process was not properly followed and legal tangles further complicated the matter,” a source familiar with the development mentioned. “Following this, the top political leadership asked to fix responsibilities for irregularities and the officers were suspended.”
The procurement was designed to provide smartphones to field workers to monitor nutrition schemes via a dedicated application. In the wake of these changes, the government has appointed Gurkirat Kirpal Singh to take over the roles previously held by Yadav and Vikas Partap, while Harsuhinder Brar has been named the new Managing Director of Punjab Infotech.
