Gandhinagar witnessed major administrative churn on Tuesday as the Gujarat government ordered the transfer of 26 senior IAS officers, signalling a significant overhaul of the state’s bureaucracy.
The most high-profile changes were made in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). Senior IAS officer Sanjeev Kumar, a 1998-batch officer who was serving as Principal Secretary in the Forest and Environment Department, has been appointed Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister. He has also been given additional charge as Principal Secretary, Home Department, reflecting increased trust from the government.
CMO Team Reshaped
Two more key changes were made in the CMO. Dr Vikrant Pandey’s position has been redesignated as Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, along with additional charge of the Information and Broadcasting Department. Ajay Kumar, who recently returned from deputation, has been appointed Secretary to the Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, Avantika Singh, who served as Additional Principal Secretary in the CMO for a long period, has been moved to the Energy and Petrochemicals Department. She has been appointed Managing Director of Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) and given additional charge of MD, GSPC LNG Limited and Gujarat Gas Limited.
Health, Education Overhaul
The reshuffle also brought changes in citizen-facing departments. Rajiv Topno, earlier State Tax Commissioner, has been appointed Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department.
The Education Department has been bifurcated, with Mukesh Kumar taking charge as Principal Secretary, Higher and Technical Education, and Milind Torwane appointed Principal Secretary, Primary and Secondary Education after being shifted from the Panchayat Department.