RAIPUR: In a move aimed at making the administrative machinery more effective, transparent and accountable, the Chhattisgarh government has carried out a major reshuffle in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
The departments handled by six senior bureaucrats have been redistributed. The state government has also appointed dedicated nodal officers for all five administrative divisions of the state for the first time.
According to an official order, Subodh Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, has been entrusted with key responsibilities.
He will coordinate with the President’s Secretariat, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Supreme Court, NITI Aayog, the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha and Chief Ministers of other states.
In addition, he will monitor matters relating to the Council of Ministers, All India Services officers, the public manifesto, the CM Dashboard and special projects.
At the departmental level, he will oversee major portfolios, including General Administration (GAD), Finance, Mineral Resources, Law and Legislative Affairs, and Commerce and Industry.
Mukesh Kumar Bansal, Secretary, has been tasked with reviewing the Chief Minister’s announcements and will oversee key sectors, including Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Co-operatives, Energy, Water Resources, Food and Civil Supplies, Excise, and Forest and Climate Change.
P. Dayanand, Secretary, will manage the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, Discretionary Fund and the Chief Minister’s Special Health Assistance Scheme.
His departmental responsibilities include Public Works (PWD), Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education, GST, Registration and Parliamentary Affairs.
Rahul Bhagat, Secretary, has been given charge of coordination related to the Chief Minister’s Residence.
He will also oversee the Home, Jails, Transport, Culture, Tourism, Sports and Youth Welfare, Women and Child Development, and SC/ST and OBC Development departments.
Rajat Bansal, Special Secretary, will monitor Sushasan Tihar (Good Governance Festival), Right to Information (RTI) matters and issues concerning public representatives.
His departmental responsibilities include Panchayat and Rural Development, School Education, Higher Education, Housing and Environment, Public Health Engineering (PHE), Village Industries and Aviation.
Prabhat Malik, Joint Secretary, has been assigned to oversee public grievance redressal mechanisms, including the Jandarshan programme.
He will also look after the Revenue and Disaster Management, Urban Administration, Information Technology, Planning, Skill Development and Employment, and Labour departments.
To strengthen administrative oversight, the government has introduced a new mechanism by appointing five senior officers as nodal officers for the state’s five administrative divisions, Raipur, Bilaspur, Bastar, Surguja and Durg.
These officers will be responsible for preparing ground-level reports on ongoing welfare schemes, development projects and pending local grievances.