THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nearly two months after he was shifted from the key post of principal secretary, general administration, senior IAS officer KR Jyothilal was reinstated to the post. Jyothilal was removed from the general administration department (GAD) in February after Governor Arif Mohammed Khan expressed his strong displeasure over the officer’s critical remarks relating to the appointment of a BJP man as the governor’s additional PA.
Jyothilal, in a covering letter along with the appointment order, had informed the Raj Bhavan that there was no precedent of appointing persons who are actively involved in politics or who owe allegiance to political parties. This was done at the behest of the government, to register its displeasure over a BJP man being appointed to the post. As a mark of protest, Khan refused to sign the customary governor’s address in the assembly till the government shunted out the IAS officer from GAD.
The reinstatement of Jyothilal, who is not in the good books of the governor, is likely to reignite the confrontation between the government and the Raj Bhavan. Jyothilal will continue to carry out his current role as Principal Secretary, Transport Department.
Jyothilal’s reinstatement was part of a reshuffle of other IAS officers that saw Youth Affairs and Sports secretary M Sivasankar being given more responsibilities. The former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had come under a cloud in 2020 for his alleged association with the prime accused in the UAE consulate-linked gold smuggling case. Sivasankar has been given full additional charge of departments such as Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Cultural Affairs (Zoo).
Other changes
Sarada Muraleedharan, Additional Chief Secretary, LSG (Urban and Rural) Departments will also hold the charge of Urban Waste to Energy Programme and Kerala Solid Waste Management Project. Biswanath Sinha, Additional Chief Secretary (Electronics & IT) Department, will hold full additional charges of the Planning and Economic Affairs Department and will also be the member-secretary of the Kerala State Planning Board.
K S Srinivas will be posted as Principal Secretary, Fisheries Department. Tinku Biswal is the new Principal Secretary of the Food and Civil Supplies Department along with her role as Principal Secretary, Ports Department.
Ajit Kumar, who returned from Central deputation, will be the new secretary, of the Public Works Department, and Priyanka G, who returned from maternity leave, has been posted as director of the Women and Child Development Department.