JAIPUR: In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the Rajasthan government has transferred 25 IAS and 9 IPS officers through an extensive late-night order issued on Thursday.
Akhil Arora, Additional Chief Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office, has been relieved of his responsibilities in the Public Health Engineering Department and will now function exclusively in the CMO.
Additional Chief Secretary Praveen Gupta has been relieved of his charge of the Tourism Department. Meanwhile, Additional Chief Secretary Aparna Arora has been moved from the Social Justice and Empowerment Department and assigned key portfolios, including Mines and Petroleum.
Additional Chief Secretary Ajitabh Sharma, who was heading the Energy Department, has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Revenue. Principal Secretary Hemant Kumar, who previously held the post, has now been posted to the Public Health and Engineering Department.
In other key changes, Alok Gupta, Chairman of the Pollution Control Board, has been transferred to the Urban Development Department, while Debasish Pruthy has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Board. Rajesh Kumar Yadav, Director General of the Harish Chandra Mathur Rajasthan State Institute of Public Administration, has been appointed Additional Chief Secretary for the School and Sanskrit Education Departments.
V Saravana Kumar has been posted as Divisional Commissioner of Jaipur. Anandi has been appointed Commissioner of Commercial Taxes, while Aarti Dogra, Chairperson of the DISCOMs, has been given the additional charge of Energy Secretary. Poonam, who was serving as Jaipur Divisional Commissioner, has been transferred as Secretary in the Women and Child Development Department.
The reshuffle also includes changes in the police administration, with nine Indian Police Service (IPS) officers being transferred.
The move comes amid an extensive, ongoing administrative churn in the state. Speculation over a large-scale reshuffle had intensified following the conclusion of the recent Legislative Assembly session. Earlier this month, on March 14, the government had transferred a total of 64 IPS officers, including several district Superintendents of Police.
Political observers note that the reshuffle assumes significance in the backdrop of criticism that the state administration was being driven largely by bureaucrats. However, following the transfer of Chief Secretary Sudhansh Pant to Delhi, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma is seen as taking steps to assert greater control over governance.
Sources indicate that more changes could be on the horizon, with another transfer list, involving District Collectors, expected in the next few days.