Why is IAS Ramavatar Meena bizarrely in love with RAS cadre post?

Jaipur: There is an interesting story around the newly promoted IAS Ramavatar Meena. Even after becoming an IAS officer, Meena has been unable to let go of his old post as a RAS officer and as a result, he is still holding on to it, along with his post as an IAS officer.

Meena was promoted as MD, SC-ST Finance Corporation in January 2022. However, the post of Controller, Motor Garage, that he was posted on as a RAS officer, wasn’t handed to anyone else by the DoP, and thus, Meena continued to discharge his duties towards the Motor Garage as well. It was believed that whenever the RAS transfer list would be released, the position of Controller would be handed over to some other officer.

However, even though the jumbo transfer list of 240 RAS was released on April 25, no one was appointed to the post of Controller, Motor Garage. Meanwhile, in the IAS transfer list, Ramavatar Meena was accorded the posting as Director, ICDS and even after this transfer, Meena continues to hold his ‘old haunt’ of Controller, Motor Garage, thereby, keeping an important post of a RAS cadre ‘under his clutches.’

But perhaps the story behind this ‘interesting scenario’ is worth looking into. Meena is Controller, Motor Garage since February 2019 and in his innings of 38 months, he has become a favourite of Minister Rajendra Yadav. He has played an important role in the purchase of vehicles worth crores of rupees over three years and more are being purchased. Yadav has been minister of Motor Garage since day one and has kept Ramavatar with him since. Neither does the Minister wants to part ways with Ramavatar, nor does Meena wants to let go of the Minister.

But the million-dollar question is as to why is DoP playing second fiddle in keeping this ‘Jodi number 1’ intact? Why was no posting given by DoP in Motor Garage through its jumbo RAS transfer list issued on April 25? Why is Ramavatar holding on to two posts even after four months i.e. January 2022?

There is one more issue. Word among the bureaucratic circles is that Ramavatar is not at all interested in his posting as an IAS officer and that is why he has been removed from his posting in the SC-ST Finance Corporation and no questions are being raised if Meena will work on his new posting as the Director, ICDS or if he will continue to work in his old haunt, the Motor Garage?