In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the Rajasthan government has transferred 81 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers after the appointment of D.B. Gupta as the new Chief Secretary. The Collectors of 15 districts and three Divisional Commissioners were among those shifted in the orders issued late on Monday night.
Mr. Gupta, a 1983-batch IAS officer, was appointed the Chief Secretary after the retirement of N.C. Goel, who had the shortest tenure of four months. Speculations were rife about Mr. Goel’s extension, but the Centre reportedly did not accept a proposal sent by the State government in this regard.
Mr. Goel played a key role in the execution of the Vasundhara Raje government’s ambitious projects, including the inauguration of oil refinery in Barmer, during his tenure. Mr. Gupta, 58, was earlier Additional Chief Secretary (Finance, Excise and Taxation). The charge of these departments has been given to Mukesh Kumar Sharma.
‘Political overtones’
The reshuffle, which may have been the last before the State goes to Assembly polls in December this year, seemingly had political overtones with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party keen on sending across a message of good governance to the electorate.
Seven officers of the rank of Additional Chief Secretary were given new responsibilities in the reshuffle, while T. Ravikanth was posted as Divisional Commissioner in Jaipur, Lalit Kumar Gupta in Jodhpur and Kailash Chand Verma in Kota.
Neeraj K. Pawan, who was reinstated in November last year after his arrest and suspension in connection with a graft case, was posted as Special Secretary, Administrative Reforms Department. The 2003-batch IAS officer spent eight months in jail on charges of corruption in the award of contracts in the National Rural Health Mission.
The Collectors of Bikaner, Pratapgarh, Kota, Ajmer, Dholpur, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Tonk, Sawai Madhopur, Bundi, Hanumangarh, Churu, Alwar, Jaisalmer and Bharatpur were transferred in the reshuffle.
