Patna: The Bihar government has carried out a major administrative reshuffle, transferring 15 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers across key departments and divisions in the state. The changes include the appointment of new secretaries, additional chief secretaries and divisional commissioners.
Vinod Singh Gunjiyal, currently serving as Bihar’s chief electoral officer, has been appointed secretary of the education department. He will also hold additional charge of the sports department. With the move, B Rajender has been relieved of the additional charge of additional chief secretary of the education department, while continuing in the general administration department.
Among the senior-level changes, 1996-batch IAS officer Senthil Kumar has been appointed additional chief secretary of the labour resources department. He has also been given additional charge of the backward and extremely backward classes welfare department. Earlier, he was serving in the sugarcane industry department. H R Srinivas has been relieved of the additional charge of the backward classes welfare department.
Rajesh Kumar, who was serving as divisional commissioner of Kosi and Purnia divisions, has been transferred to Patna as principal secretary of the public health engineering department (PHED). Pankaj Kumar Pal, previously PHED secretary, will now head the road construction department.
The government has also reassigned officers in departments linked to food, technology and cooperative administration. Abhay Kumar Singh, secretary of the food and consumer protection department, has been shifted to the information technology department and will additionally serve as managing director of BELTRON. Dharmendra Singh has been moved from the cooperative department to the sugarcane industry department.
Deepak Anand, who was handling labour resources and migrant workers welfare, has been posted to the food and consumer protection department.
In another key change, Avinish Kumar Singh, divisional commissioner of Bhagalpur, has been transferred to Patna as secretary of the mines and geology department. Himanshu Kumar Rai, currently divisional commissioner of Darbhanga, has been given additional charge of the Kosi division.
Prem Singh Meena, divisional commissioner of Munger, has been entrusted with additional charge of Bhagalpur division.
Himanshu Sharma, chief executive officer of Jeevika, has been appointed secretary-in-charge of the science, technology and technical education department while retaining his existing responsibilities at Jeevika.
The reshuffle also includes appointments in the chief minister’s secretariat. Shrikant Kundalik Khandekar has been made joint secretary in the CM secretariat, while Gunjan Singh, currently CEO of Bhojpur Zila Parishad, has also been posted there as joint secretary.
Anshul Kumar, district magistrate of Purnia, has been given additional charge as divisional commissioner of Purnia division.
The deputy development commissioner of Nalanda has been transferred to Patna as deputy development commissioner and chief executive officer of the district council.
The transfers come days after the Bihar government reshuffled 16 IPS officers, including the appointment of Vikas Vaibhav as the new inspector general of Magadh range.
