Over 115 former civil servants have expressed 'anger and anguish' at the Centre's 'casual attitude' toward the magnitude of the tragedies unfolding during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling for universal vaccination, ramping up testing and tracing in rural and urban areas and income support to the poor.."Your government seems to be more concerned with managing the narrative of "efficient" management of the Covid crisis rather than addressing the crucial issues at stake. Even authentic data on the testing carried out in different states, the number of positive cases, the number of persons hospitalised and mortality figures have not been publicly disseminated. This has had serious implications for the adequate provision of necessary medical facilities in different states as well as for devising appropriate measures in different states to control the spread of the pandemic," said an open letter by the former civil servants to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi..The signatories include former ambassadors, diplomats, secretaries to the Centre and state governments, such as former National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon, former Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrashekhar, N C Saxena, former secretary, Planning Commission, Keshav Desiraju, former health secretary among others..Calling out opaqueness of the PMCares fund, the uncalled for expenditure on projects such as the Central Vista, the letter flayed the Centre for the "steady erosion of the Cabinet system of governance, the worsening of federal relationships with the states, especially those governed by parties opposed to the party ruling at the Centre, the lack of informed consultation with experts and Parliamentary committees, the failure to take the timely advice of expert committees and the absence of effective coordination with state governments have had disastrous consequences for the poor and disadvantaged and now for the better off sections of society as well.".Read the full text of the letter below:.OPEN LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER:.INDIA NEEDS ACTION NOW.20 May 2021.Dear Prime Minister,.We, a group of former civil servants from the All India and Central Services, with a deep commitment to the Constitution of India and with no political affiliations, have written to you as well as other constitutional authorities on a number of occasions in the past, whenever we felt that executive actions violated the provisions of the Constitution. Today, in the midst of the Covid pandemic and the suffering that has engulfed the people of our country, we write to you in anguish as well as in anger. We are aware that this pandemic threatens the entire world and is not going to leave the citizens of India untouched. And yet, what numbs our senses daily is not just the cries of the citizenry for medical assistance and the death toll in its thousands but the manifestly casual attitude of your government to the magnitude of the crisis and its implications for the mental and physical health of the community of Indians..The steady erosion of the Cabinet system of governance, the worsening of federal relationships with the states, especially those governed by parties opposed to the party ruling at the centre, the lack of informed consultation with experts and Parliamentary committees, the failure to take the timely advice of expert committees and the absence of effective coordination with state governments have had disastrous consequences for the poor and disadvantaged and now for the better off sections of society as well. Despite warnings from the international community and our own scientists, the breathing space between the first and the second waves was not used to augment critical resources such as medical staff, hospital beds, oxygen supplies, ventilators and drugs and other medical supplies. Even more inexcusably, no advance planning was done to secure adequate stocks of vaccines, despite India being one of the major vaccine suppliers to the world. The complacency displayed by you and your ministerial colleagues at various forums not only diverted attention from the looming threat but probably also contributed to both state governments and citizens letting down their guard at a crucial juncture. As a result, your Atmanirbhar Bharat is today compelled to seek the help of the outside world to lessen the agony inflicted on its own people by your government..Right from the outset of the pandemic in March 2020, your government has never systematically assessed the funds that state governments would need to tackle the pandemic. The PM-CARES fund was set up when there was already a Prime Minister National Relief Fund in place. No disclosures have been made regarding the funds collected and the expenditures on various items. This fund attracted to itself moneys which would otherwise have gone from corporates and the public to the various CM Relief Funds and to NGOs. Your government has not been prompt in paying outstanding GST dues to the states, which could have helped them defray Covid care expenses. At the same time, your government has incurred unnecessary expenditure on the Central Vista redevelopment project; these funds could well have been more gainfully used to tackle the crisis. On top of this, the harsh restrictions imposed on NGOs, especially those obtaining foreign contributions, have hampered their efforts in providing relief during the pandemic..While the holding of elections to the legislative assemblies of four states and one union territory may have been unavoidable, you, Mr. Prime Minister, and your party functionaries threw all caution to the winds by conducting huge public rallies in different states, when a restrained campaign by your party would have served as a salutary example to other political parties. The Kumbh Mela at Haridwar was conducted with scant regard for Covid safety regulations. With two such "super spreader" events taking place just when the second surge of the virus was becoming a major threat, we are now witnessing the horrifying spectacle of the rampant spread of the Covid virus across the rural hinterland of the country..Your government seems to be more concerned with managing the narrative of "efficient" management of the Covid crisis rather than addressing the crucial issues at stake. Even authentic data on the testing carried out in different states, the number of positive cases, the number of persons hospitalised and mortality figures have not been publicly disseminated. This has had serious implications for the adequate provision of necessary medical facilities in different states as well as for devising appropriate measures in different states to control the spread of the pandemic..We urge the Government of India to take the following actions immediately:.·Provide for free, universal vaccination to all citizens of India. Government of India must centralize the procurement of vaccines from all available sources and supply them to state governments and all other implementing agencies..·Coordinate effectively with state governments to ensure the adequacy of oxygen facilities, essential lifesaving drugs and equipment and hospital beds in all States of the country..·Greatly ramp up RT-PCR testing in both rural and urban areas..·Make adequate funds available to the States for provision of medical facilities and stop expenditures on non-essential items like the Central Vista redevelopment project..·Draw on the existing surplus foodgrain stocks to provide free rations to the families of the marginalised and deprived sections of society as well as unorganised labour who have lost their employment opportunities until the ferocity of the pandemic and the hunger and livelihood crisis abates..·Fully provide, in consultation with state governments, for existing nutrition schemes for school going children and supplementary nutrition for mothers and children in the pre-school age groups. ..·Provide a monthly income support for the current financial year to the needy sections of society to enable them to meet contingent expenses and unforeseen emergencies. Economists have recommended ₹ 7000 per month per household, equivalent to minimum wages..·Immediately remove the FCRA restrictions imposed on NGOs so that they can avail of funds provided by foreign governments and charities for Covid management and other related activities..·Place all data in the public domain and ensure that evidence-based policy measures are implemented..·Constitute an all-party committee at the central level to advise on and review all government decisions and monitor the control of the pandemic in different areas of the country..While the above constitute actions to be taken at the politico-administrative level, the most important action relates to building up the confidence and morale of a population hard hit by the loss of their near and dear ones. Compassion and caring have to be the cornerstones of government policy. History will judge our society, your government and, above all, you personally, on how effectively we handle this crisis..SATYAMEVA JAYATE.Yours sincerely,.CONSTITUTIONAL CONDUCT GROUP.(116 signatories, as below).1Anita AgnihotriIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Department of Social Justice Empowerment, GoI2Salahuddin AhmadIAS (Retd.)Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Rajasthan3S.P. AmbroseIAS (Retd.)Former Additional Secretary, Ministry of Shipping & Transport, GoI4Anand ArniR&AW (Retd.)Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI5G. BalachandhranIAS (Retd.)Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal6Vappala BalachandranIPS (Retd.)Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI7Gopalan BalagopalIAS (Retd.)Former Special Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal8Chandrashekhar BalakrishnanIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Coal, GoI9Rana BanerjiR&AW (Retd.)Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW), GoI10T.K. BanerjiIAS (Retd.)Former Member, Union Public Service Commission11Sharad BeharIAS (Retd.)Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh12Aurobindo BeheraIAS (Retd.)Former Member, Board of Revenue, Govt. of Odisha13Madhu BhaduriIFS (Retd.)Former Ambassador to Portugal14K.V. BhagirathIFS (Retd.)Former Secretary General, Indian Ocean Rim Association, Mauritius15Meeran C BorwankarIPS (Retd.)Former DGP, Bureau of Police Research and Development, GoI16Ravi BudhirajaIAS (Retd.)Former Chairman, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, GoI17Sundar BurraIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra18Maneshwar Singh ChahalIAS (Retd.)Former Principal Secretary, Home, Govt. of Punjab19R. ChandramohanIAS (Retd.)Former Principal Secretary, Transport and Urban Development, Govt. of NCT of Delhi20K.M. ChandrasekharIAS (Retd.)Former Cabinet Secretary, GoI21Rachel ChatterjeeIAS (Retd.)Former Special Chief Secretary, Agriculture, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh22Kalyani ChaudhuriIAS (Retd.)Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal23Gurjit Singh CheemaIAS (Retd.)Former Financial Commissioner (Revenue), Govt. of Punjab24Anna DaniIAS (Retd.)Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra25Vibha Puri DasIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, GoI26P.R. DasguptaIAS (Retd.)Former Chairman, Food Corporation of India, GoI27Nitin DesaiFormer Chief Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance, GoI28Keshav DesirajuIAS (Retd.)Former Health Secretary, GoI29M.G. DevasahayamIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Govt. of Haryana30Sushil DubeyIFS (Retd.)Former Ambassador to Sweden31A.S. DulatIPS (Retd.)Former OSD on Kashmir, Prime Minister's Office, GoI32K.P. FabianIFS (Retd.)Former Ambassador to Italy33Prabhu GhateIAS (Retd.)Former Addl. Director General, Department of Tourism, GoI34Arif GhauriIRS (Retd.)Former Governance Adviser, DFID, Govt. of the United Kingdom (on deputation)35Gourisankar GhoshIAS (Retd.)Former Mission Director, National Drinking Water Mission, GoI36Suresh K. GoelIFS (Retd.)Former Director General, Indian Council of Cultural Relations, GoI37S. GopalIPS (Retd.)Former Special Secretary, GoI38H.S. GujralIFoS (Retd.)Former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Govt. of Punjab39Meena GuptaIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forests, GoI40Ravi Vira GuptaIAS (Retd.)Former Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India41Wajahat HabibullahIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, GoI and former Chief Information Commissioner42Deepa HariIRS (Resigned)43Siraj HussainIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Department of Agriculture, GoI44Kamal JaswalIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Department of Information Technology, GoI45Najeeb JungIAS (Retd.)Former Lieutenant Governor, Delhi46Vinod C. KhannaIFS (Retd.)Former Additional Secretary, MEA, GoI47Ajai KumarIFoS(Retd.)Former Director, Ministry of Agriculture, GoI48Brijesh KumarIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Department of Information Technology, GoI49Ish KumarIPS (Retd.)Former DGP (Vigilance & Enforcement), Govt. of Telangana and former Special Rapporteur, National Human Rights Commission50Sudhir KumarIAS (Retd.)Former Member, Central Administrative Tribunal51P.K. LahiriIAS (Retd.)Former ED, Asian Development Bank & Former Revenue Secretary, GoI52Subodh LalIPoS (Resigned)Former Deputy Director General, Ministry of Communications, GoI53S.K. LambahIFS (Retd.)Former Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of India54B.B. MahajanIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Deptt. of Food, GoI55Harsh ManderIAS (Retd.)Govt. of Madhya Pradesh56Amitabh MathurIPS (Retd.)Former Director, Aviation Research Centre and Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI57Lalit MathurIAS (Retd.)Former Director General, National Institute of Rural Development, GoI58Aditi MehtaIAS (Retd.)Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Rajasthan59Shivshankar MenonIFS (Retd.)Former Foreign Secretary and Former National Security Adviser60Sonalini MirchandaniIFS (Resigned)GoI61Malay MishraIFS (Retd.)Former Ambassador to Hungary62Sunil MitraIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Ministry of Finance, GoI63Noor MohammadIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority, Govt. of India64Avinash MohananeyIPS (Retd.)Former Director General of Police, Govt. of Sikkim65Deb MukharjiIFS (Retd.)Former High Commissioner to Bangladesh and former Ambassador to Nepal66Shiv Shankar MukherjeeIFS (Retd.)Former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom67Gautam MukhopadhayaIFS (Retd.)Former Ambassador to Myanmar68NagalsamyIA&AS (Retd.)Former Principal Accountant General, Tamil Nadu & Kerala69T.K.A. NairIAS (Retd.)Former Adviser to Prime Minister of India70Surendra NathIAS (Retd.)Former Member, Finance Commission, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh71P. Joy OommenIAS (Retd.)Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Chhattisgarh72Amitabha PandeIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Inter-State Council, GoI73Niranjan PantIA&AS (Retd.)Former Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General, GoI74P. R. ParthasarathyIPS (Retd.)Former Director, Anti-Corruption Bureau, Govt. of Maharashtra75Alok PertiIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Ministry of Coal, GoI76R. PoornalingamIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, GoI77Rajesh PrasadIFS (Retd.)Former Ambassador to the Netherlands78Sharda PrasadIAS (Retd.)Former Director General (Employment and Training), Ministry of Labour and Employment, GoI79R.M. PremkumarIAS (Retd.)Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra80T.R. RaghunandanIAS (Retd.)Former Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, GoI81N.K. RaghupathyIAS (Retd.)Former Chairman, Staff Selection Commission, GoI82V.P. RajaIAS (Retd.)Former Chairman, Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission83C. Babu RajeevIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, GoI84K. Sujatha RaoIAS (Retd.)Former Health Secretary, GoI85M.Y. RaoIAS (Retd.)86Satwant ReddyIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Chemicals and Petrochemicals, GoI87Vijaya Latha ReddyIFS (Retd.)Former Deputy National Security Adviser, GoI88Julio RibeiroIPS (Retd.)Former Adviser to Governor of Punjab & former Ambassador to Romania89Aruna RoyIAS (Resigned)90Manabendra N. RoyIAS (Retd.)Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal91K. Saleem AliIPS (Retd.)Former Special Director, CBI, GoI92Deepak SananIAS (Retd.)Former Principal Adviser (AR) to Chief Minister, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh93G. SankaranIC&CES (Retd.)Former President, Customs, Excise and Gold (Control) Appellate Tribunal94S. SatyabhamaIAS (Retd.)Former Chairperson, National Seeds Corporation, GoI95N.C. SaxenaIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Planning Commission, GoI96A. SelvarajIRS (Retd.)Former Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, Chennai, GoI97Ardhendu SenIAS (Retd.)Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal98Abhijit SenguptaIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI99Aftab SethIFS (Retd.)Former Ambassador to Japan100Ashok Kumar SharmaIFoS (Retd.)Former MD, State Forest Development Corporation, Govt. of Gujarat101Ashok Kumar SharmaIFS (Retd.)Former Ambassador to Finland and Estonia102Navrekha SharmaIFS (Retd.)Former Ambassador to Indonesia103Pravesh SharmaIAS (Retd.)Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh104Raju SharmaIAS (Retd.)Former Member, Board of Revenue, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh105Rashmi Shukla SharmaIAS (Retd.)Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh106Padamvir SinghIAS (Retd.)Former Director, LBSNAA, Mussoorie, GoI107Sujatha SinghIFS (Retd.)Former Foreign Secretary, GoI108Tirlochan SinghIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, National Commission for Minorities, GoI109Jawhar SircarIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI, & former CEO, Prasar Bharati110Parveen TalhaIRS (Retd.)Former Member, Union Public Service Commission111Thanksy ThekkekeraIAS (Retd.)Former Additional Chief Secretary, Minorities Development, Govt. of Maharashtra112P.S.S. ThomasIAS (Retd.)Former Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission113Hindal TyabjiIAS (Retd.)Former Chief Secretary rank, Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir114Jawed UsmaniIAS (Retd.)Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh & former Chief Information Commissioner, Uttar Pradesh115Ashok VajpeyiIAS (Retd.)Former Chairman, Lalit Kala Akademi116Ramani VenkatesanIAS (Retd.)Former Director General, YASHADA, Govt. of Maharashtra.(This article was first published by Newsclick)
