Khetan claims ‘Cabinet’ status, Delhi govt denies

Hours after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Ashish Khetan claimed having been granted the status of a Cabinet minister, the Delhi government denied it.

Khetan, in a press conference on Friday, said the government “has decided to give the Delhi 

Dialogue Commission (DDC) vice-chairman the status of Cabinet minister”. Hours later, the government sought to clarify that Khetan “has not been accorded the status of Cabinet minister”.

“He will be entitled to receive reimbursement of travelling or boarding expenses and remuneration at par with the Ministers of Government of NCT of Delhi to facilitate him to discharge his function as the vice-chairman of DDC full-time,” the government said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet has also approved the extension of lodging facility to experts, working closely with DDC. Now, they will get the facilities at par with a secretary with the Delhi government. 

“The government has limited resources and expertise. A large pool of talent and knowledge of domain expertise lies outside the government. It would be shameful if the government doesn’t tap into this vast pool of talent,” Khetan said, adding that such experts want to lend their expertise to the government at times without any cost. 

“We are trying to reach out to professionals and experts and take their help in matter of governance,” he said. 

On February 27, the Delhi Cabinet had set up the nine- member DDC to implement the 70 promises made by the AAP in its election manifesto. Khetan is a close aide of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.