In a major bureaucratic reshuffle in the State administration on Wednesday, the State Government has made changes in the departmental responsibilities of many officers. In the reshuffle, the additional chief secretary (ACS) Om Prakash has been divested of the charge of civil aviation while responsibility of excise department has been removed from ACS Ranvir Singh.
ACS Radha Raturi has been handed over the additional responsibility of the Chief Minister's office and planning. Secretary Information Technology and AYUSH, R K Sudhanshu would also look after biotechnology department.
Secretary agriculture, agricultural marketing, horticulture, D Senthil Pandian has been given the additional responsibility of Panchayati Raj department while secretary medical health and family welfare, medical education, personnel, vigilance and Suraj, Nitesh Jha would look after the home and jail departments apart from his existing assignments. Secretary tourism, culture and information Dilip Jawalkar has been assigned the additional responsibility of secretary civil aviation while the Kumaon commissioner, Rajiv Rautela would also take additional responsibility as secretary CM Office.
Bio-technology department has been removed from Ranjit Kumar Sinha and he has been given additional responsibility of State re-organisation and census.
The plum post of commissioner excise has been removed from the portfolio of V Shanmugam and this department has been handed over to director general ( DG) information, Deependra Chaudhary. The charge of director Mining has been taken away from the additional secretary finance, disaster management, director audit and project director externally funded schemes, Savin Bansal.
The government has also made changes in the responsibilities of key Provincial Civil Services (PCS) officers. PCS officer Umesh Narayan Pandey has been given additional responsibility of additional secretary (AS) Industry and director state printing press. Along with horticulture, CM office, dairy development, Meharban Singh Bisht would also cater to the assignment of additional secretary revenue and director mining while Dev Krishna Bihari has been given charge of additional secretary home. Karmendra Singh has been given the charge of director administration and monitoring Pantnagar University.
The reshuffle clearly shows that apart from rationalising responsibilities, the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has sought to strengthen his own secretariat.
With appointment of Radha Raturi, the CM office would now have two ACS as Om Prakash is already functioning as ACS there. In the reshuffle, Kumaon commissioner Rajiv Rautela has also been inducted as secretary CM secretariat. Post-reshuffle, the CM Office would now have three secretaries Amit Singh Negi, Radhika Jha and Rajiv Rautela.