Smriti Irani transfers, sacks dissenters

New Delhi: Coming down heavily on dissidence, the information and broadcasting ministry, led by Smriti Irani, has transferred the IIS Association president Anindya Sengupta, who wrote a letter to the PMO seeking review of transfer policy claiming that it was affecting the “morale” of the cadre.

National Films Development Corporation managing director Nina Lath Gupta, who was having trouble with the ministry, has also been sacked.

Sources stated that Mr  Sengupta has been transferred from DD News to the publications division. In a tacit criticism of the Union information and broadcasting minister, last week the Indian Information Service Association had in a letter to the PMO stated that the “morale of the cadre officers was being affected due to the current transfer policy of the ministry”. It also requested that “all transfers effected may be duly reconsidered and further transfers be stopped”.  

The letter went on to state that the “current approach amounts to wastage of public funds, wherein the media units in Delhi are crippled due to shortage of manpower while on the other hand senior officers are unable to deliver professionally due to lack of infrastructure”.

The association also criticised the ministry’s interference in allocating portfolios even up to Asst Director-level officers in PIB which has always been the prerogative of the head of the department.

Meanwhile, it is understood that the NFDC managing director Nina Lath Gupta has also been given the marching orders by the ministry. Mr Gupta was holding the position since 2006.