Dimapur April 9 (MExN): The Chief Minister’s Office has denied that the office of the President, State Sports Council (SSA) and Chairman of the Nagaland Bamboo Development Agency (NBDA) held by the Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio are offices of profit following what it called the misconception about the said posts vis-à-vis office of profit.
According to the clarification the Chief Minister of Nagaland is holding the post of President, State Sports Council and Chairman of the Nagaland Bamboo Development Agency (NBDA) by virtue of being the Minister in-charge of Youth Resources & Sports and Chief Minister respectively.
“In the case of the SSC, it has been the standard convention that the Minister In-charge of YR&S would hold president’s post on an ex-officio basis. Ever since the formation of the SSC on 28th February, 1993 it has been the convention that the YR&S Minister has been the President of the SSC.
Likewise the Secretary of the Department becomes the Secretary of the SSC and the Director of the Department becomes the Treasurer” the CMO stated. Accordingly, during the 8th Nagaland Legislative Assembly I. Imkong was Minister-in-charge of Youth Resources & Sports followed by P. Enyie Konyak, it maintained.
In the same vein the CMO maintained that in the 9th Nagaland Legislative Assembly, P. Enyie Konyak held the same portfolio till it was handed over to Wangyuh Konyak while in the 10th Assembly, R. Khing was the Minister-in-charge and after downsizing of the Ministry the Chief Minister took over charge of the portfolio.
“The above mentioned Ministers-in-charge of YR&S have by convention been Presidents of the SSC by virtue of being Minister-in-charge of the department. This convention is being followed even now and no Government order or notification has been issued with regard to appointing the Minister-in-charge of the department as President of the SSC” it was stated as well as clarifying that “As per the official note of the Department of Youth Resources No. PES/GEN/-51/78 (Pt), it is clearly stated that the State Sports Council does not extend any benefit to the President, Vice-President or any other members for holding any post under the SSC”.
With regard to the NBDA, a governing body with the Chief Minister as its Chairman, it was asserted that it was constituted on March 15, 2004 and that other members of the NDBA include Parliamentary Secretary, Horticulture, Advisor NDBA, Chief Secretary, Development Commissioner, Financial Commissioner, Principal Secretary Agriculture, Principal Secretary Forest, Secretary Industries and APC as Member Secretary.
“As per the notification of the office of the Agriculture Production Commissioner, the NDBA was established as part of the Nagaland Bamboo Policy. According to the notification no. APC/Bamboo/2006-1 the NDBA is a body set up to implement a Government programme in Mission mode in similar manner as the SSA, Horticulture Technology Mission, etc”.
The notification states that the NDBA is essentially a coordinating body of the various wings of the Government that are in one way or the other associated with the development of the Bamboo as enterprise and as a resource. “The NDBA is not registered as a corporate under the Companies Act.
The notification states that the Chairman and the various members of the Governing Body of the NDBA are not board of directors of a company nor are they in receipt of any remunerations or perks or any other facilities as members of the Governing body of which they are members by virtue of their position in Government or and as such are not holding an office of profit.
“This means that the Chief Minister is not occupying any office of profit by holding the post of President SSC and as Chairman NBDA,” it concluded.
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