NEW DELHI: Police said on Wednesday they had lau­nched a manhunt for India’s only “happiness min­ister” after the state politician vanished when a court order for his arrest was issued over an alleged murder.

Lal Singh Arya, whose only mandate is to put a smile on the face of his 70 million constituents, is wanted in connection with an alleged murder of an opposition politician in 2009.

Madhya Pradesh in Jan­uary became the first state in India to create a happiness ministry, making headlines with the appointment of Arya to head this rosy department. But the 53-year-old from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party disappeared without a trace after a court in Bhind district issued a non-bailable warrant for his arrest over an alleged connection to the murder.

Local police said they were “hopeful” of catching Arya before he is scheduled to appear in court on Dec 19.Police launched the hunt on Tuesday for the minister when he was not found at his residence, the Press Trust of India reported.

Arya was tasked by the state in January with respo­nsibility for “the happiness and tolerance of its citizens”. The happiness ministry is modelled on the “gross national happiness” index used by Bhutan as a measure of its success.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2017