The newly elected BJP government in Chhattisgarh has effected a major bureaucratic reshuffle, transferring 88 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers and one officer of the Indian Police Service.
Collector of 19 districts are among those who have been shifted, as per an order issued by the General Administration Department on Wednesday midnight (January 3.)
Some officers considered close to the previous Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government are also among those who have been transferred.
As per the order, the Collectors of Raipur, Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (MCB), Kanker, Korba, Rajnandgaon, Bemetara, Kondagaon, Durg, Surajpur, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, Surguja, Janjgir-Champa, Balod, Dhamtari, Sarangarh-Bilaigarh, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai and Gariaband have been changed.
P. Dayanand, the 2006 batch IAS officer currently serving as Secretary to the Chief Minister, has been relieved of the additional charge of Medical Education Secretary.
He has been given additional charge of the Secretary of Energy, Mineral Resources and Public Relations Departments, chairman of the Chhattisgarh State Power Company, as well as Secretary of Commerce and Industry (rail line projects) and Aviation Departments.
Mr. Dayanand was appointed as Secretary to the CM on December 19, 2023, after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the State. Mayank Shrivastav, the 2006 batch IPS officer, has been posted as commissioner-cum-director of the Public Relations Department.
As per the order, 1992 batch IAS officer Subrat Sahoo, has been posted as the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of Dharmik Nyas (religious trust) and Dharmsva Department.
Prior to the new posting, he was ACS of the Panchayat and Rural Development Department along with additional charge of Electronics and Information Technology, Commerce and Industry (rail line projects), PWD and chairman of the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board.
Mr. Sahoo has also been given additional charge of Director General of the Thakur Pyarelal State Panchayat and Rural Development Institute, replacing Niharika Barik.
IAS officer Barik (1997 batch) has been appointed as Principal Secretary of the Panchayat and Rural Development Department with additional charge of Development Commissioner and Principal Secretary of Electronics and IT.
Raipur Collector Sarveshwar Narendra Bhure has been posted as Chhattisgarh State Election Commission secretary. Gaurav Kumar Singh, the 2013 batch IAS officer, has been posted as Raipur Collector.
He was serving as Joint Secretary of the Panchayat and Rural Development Department with additional charge of Forest and Medical Education Departments.
Pushpendra Meena, who was the Collector of Durg, home district of former CM Bhupesh Baghel, has been shifted as Secretary of the Public Service Commission.
Taran Prakash Sinha and Sanjeev Jha, who were Joint Secretaries in the Mantralaya, have been shifted as Joint Secretary of Sports and Youth Welfare Department and director of Samgra Shiksha, respectively.
Mr. Sinha previously served as the Collector of Raigarh and Jha as the Collector of Bilaspur. They were removed from the posts in October last year on the Election Commission's direction ahead of the State Assembly polls.
Bijapur Collector Rajendra Kumar Katara has been now shifted as director of the State Council and Educational Research and Training (SCERT) with additional charge as mission director of the State Literacy Mission.
