Jaipur: The Rajasthan government transferred 62 IAS officers, including 11 district collectors, late Sunday night. The changes come as part of a broader restructuring under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.
Key Departments Witness Leadership Change
Several top-level departments have seen fresh appointments. Akhil Arora, who handled finance during the previous Congress-led administration, has been shifted to the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS). Vaibhav Galriya replaces him in Finance, Excise & Taxation, moving from the Urban Development and Housing (UDH) department.
Anand Kumar, earlier posted as ACS (Home), has taken over the Forest, Environment and Climate Change portfolio. Bhaskar A. Sawant will now serve as ACS (Home), having moved from PHED. Aparna Arora has been appointed ACS, Social Justice & Empowerment, after serving in the Forest and Environment department.
Strategic Reassignments in CM’s Office
Several changes were also made within the Chief Minister’s Secretariat. Ajitabh Sharma, previously involved in industrial promotion activities, has been appointed Principal Secretary, Energy. Alok Gupta, Principal Secretary to the CM, will now hold additional charge of Industries and MSME. Shikhar Agrawal, ACS to the CM, has been given additional responsibility for RIICO.
Urban Governance and District Leadership Realigned
The UDH department will now be led by Debashish Prusty as Principal Secretary. Rukmini Riyar, currently serving as Commissioner, JMC-Greater, has been appointed Commissioner, Tourism. Gaurav Saini will replace her at JMC-Greater.
Arun Hasija, Commissioner, JMC-Heritage, has been posted as District Collector, Rajsamand. IAS officer Nidhi Patel, from the 2018 batch and previously awaiting a posting, has been appointed Commissioner, JMC-Heritage and CEO, Jaipur Smart City.
Other Senior-Level Appointments
Among other notable transfers:
Sandeep Verma will now lead the Skills, Entrepreneurship & Employment Department as ACS.
Kuldeep Ranka, former Principal Secretary to the CM, has been moved to Higher and Technical Education.
Subodh Agarwal, the senior-most IAS officer in Rajasthan (1988 batch), has been appointed Chairman & MD, Rajasthan Financial Corporation.
Kunji Lal Meena takes over as ACS, Tribal Area Development.
Rajesh Yadav, earlier Principal Secretary, LSG, will now head the Department of Tourism, Art, Literature & Culture.
