New Delhi (Pradeep Shukla IAS)Pradeep Shukla, a name that was once famous as a civil services topper of the 1981 batch, has now become a story of massive corruption and downfall, Pradeep Shukla, a first class master’s degree holder in Physics from Allahabad University, came from an ordinary background and achieved top rank in UPSC, After his final performance at Mussoorie IAS Academy, he slipped to second rank in the list of batch toppers, At that time no one would have imagined that this promising officer would be in jail after three decades, facing serious charges of corruption,
Downfall started after 2009
The most controversial phase of IAS Pradeep Shukla’s career came between 2009 and 2011, when he was the Principal Secretary of the Family Welfare Department and Mission Director of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in Uttar Pradesh. During this period, large scale irregularities came to light in the implementation of NRHM, leading to a scam worth crores of rupees and a huge decline in health indicators.
Story from great start to slip up
IAS Pradeep Shukla had performed brilliantly in his educational journey. He completed his master’s degree in Physics from Allahabad University with first division. Then he became the topper of 1981 batch in UPSC Civil Services Examination. Due to this, he got the opportunity to choose his cadre and he chose Uttar Pradesh (UP) cadre. After the final performance evaluation at Mussoorie IAS Academy, his rank came down to number 2 and Anuj Kumar Bishnoi became the topper of the batch. His first posting in 1983 was as Executive Magistrate at the sub-divisional administrative level.
Was known for eccentric behavior
Officers who worked with IAS Pradeep Shukla remember him as a talented but eccentric officer. A PCS officer once told me that his way of working was strange; He would sometimes come to office at or after 8 pm and work the whole night. His eccentric working style and unusual hours kept many people away from him, but he was never accused of corruption in his early career. The biggest turning point in the career of IAS Pradeep Shukla came during the implementation of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).
NRHM scam: cause of downfall
Between 2009 and 2011, when large-scale irregularities in NRHM came to light, IAS Pradeep Shukla was the Principal Secretary of the Family Welfare Department and Mission Director of NRHM. During this period, contracts were given without tender, rules were ignored and the systems completely collapsed. The most serious thing was that Pradeep Shukla was responsible for taking decisions on the implementation of NRHM, implementing the decisions as the Chairman of the Executive Committee and monitoring them as the head of the Program Implementation Committee. He controlled almost everything.
Many irregularities were recorded
The implementation of NRHM in Uttar Pradesh was badly affected during the tenure of IAS Pradeep Shukla (2009-2011).
- Lack of monitoring: The tradition of regular monitoring meetings, considered mandatory under the guidelines of the Central Government, was almost abolished by the top officials (i.e. Pradeep Shukla). In 2008-09, 355 regular meetings of District Health Committees (DHS) were held. Then in 2010-11 this number fell to only 120.
- Appointment of ASHA workers: About 20,000 ASHA workers were appointed in 2005-06. But till 2010-11, not a single ASHA worker was appointed.
- Downfall of Vaccination: A decline was also recorded in important areas like vaccination. While 5,463 children were vaccinated in 2009-10, this number dropped to around 4,500 between April 2010 and May 2011.
Reached jail after many allegations
Huge irregularities in NRHM implementation came to light when two consecutive Chief Medical Officers were murdered. Only after this the state government paid attention. In April 2011, Pradeep Shukla was removed from his post and then faced serious corruption charges and had to go to jail. After his arrest, he was produced in the CBI court in Ghaziabad and sent to judicial custody. In 2015, he got bail from the Supreme Court on the grounds of illness and later he was reinstated on duty. Then in 2017, he was also granted conditional bail, under which he had to deposit ₹72 lakh in four weeks.
Wife and son-in-law are also IAS
IAS Pradeep Shukla’s wife Archana Shukla is also an IAS officer. He is also posted in UP cadre only. If we look at the news during the NRHM scam, the name of IAS Pradeep Shukla’s wife was also found involved in corruption. At the same time, his daughter Poulomi Pavni Shukla was arrested from Delhi Airport in January 2013 in connection with a fake visa. He is a lawyer by profession. Poulomi’s husband Pradeep Shukla and Archana Shukla’s son-in-law Prashant Sharma are 2012 batch IAS officers. He is also posted in Uttar Pradesh cadre only. In 2019, he was removed from the post of Amethi DM after a complaint of misbehavior.
This can be called a sad end to the career of the IAS topper.
