VP Jagdeep Dhankar's personnel attached with 20 parliamentary committees under Rajya Sabha

Officials said the move is expected to add benefits to the committees with their inputs as well as giving their feedback to the Chairman about the functioning of panels

In a decision that is described by the Opposition as “unprecedented and unwarranted,” eight senior officials who are part of the personnel staff of Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar have been attached with 20 Parliamentary Committees that come under the control of the Upper House.

Sources said the order was issued by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat on Tuesday. Four officials from the Vice President’s Office and an equal number from the Rajya Sabha Chairman’s Office have been attached with eight Department-related Standing Committees and 12 other Rajya Sabha panels.

From the Vice President's Office, Dhankar's Officers on Special Duty Rajesh N Naik and Abhyuday Singh Shekhawat, Private Secretary Sujeet Kumar and Assistant Private Secretary Sanjay Verma have been attached with 11 committees.

From the Rajya Sabha Chairman's Office, Officers on Special Duty Akhil Choudhary, Dinesh D and Kaustubh Sudhakar Bhalekar and Senior Private Secretary Aditi Chaudhary are attached with nine committees.

At present, an Additional Secretary or Joint Secretary is assigned to every committee and attends all the meetings as well as leads junior staff in recording the proceedings as well as assists the panel Chairperson and other MPs, who are members, with relevant details and the eight officials are in addition to the existing official set up for the committees.

Officials said the move is expected to add benefits to the committees with their input as well as giving their feedback to the Chairman about the functioning of the panels. Earlier, then Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu had sought to quantify the work done by panels, which included attendance and the time spent by committees on deliberations.

However, Opposition parties are not enthused with the move. Senior Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, who also heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change, described the move as “unprecedented and unwarranted”.

A former top Rajya Sabha official said such appointments are unprecedented and said there is a well-settled system of reporting of committee’s functioning. The senior official from the Secretariat attached with the panel will bring to the Secretary General’s notice any issues and the latter in turn will take it up with the Chairman depending on the gravity of the situation.