By Neeraj Kumar
Patna, June 14: In the first significant administrative move since the Lok Sabha elections, the Bihar government has transferred 10 senior IAS officers as part of a major reshuffle on Thursday.
Among the notable transfers, IAS KK Pathak has been shifted from the Education Department and appointed as the Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue and Land Reforms Department. Pathak will retain his additional charge as the Director General of the Bihar Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (BIPARD). Pathak has been a controversial figure in the Education Department, facing significant opposition for his decisions.
Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary, Dr. S. Siddharth, will continue overseeing the Education Department while also holding his current additional charge of the Cabinet Department. Deepak Kumar Singh, the former Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue and Land Reforms Department, has been reassigned as the Additional Chief Secretary of the Rural Works Department.
In other key changes, Arvind Kumar Chaudhary, the Principal Secretary of the Finance Department, has been appointed as the Principal Secretary of the Home Department. Lokesh Kumar, the Finance Department Secretary (Resources), will assume full responsibility for the Finance Department until further notice. Pankaj Kumar Pal, the Secretary of the Rural Works Department, will now serve as the Secretary of the Rural Development Department and hold the additional charge of Managing Director of the Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA).
The reshuffle also includes changes at the district level. Raj Kumar has been reinstated as the District Magistrate (DM) of Bhojpur, after being removed during the elections and assigned to the Social Welfare Department. Bhojpur DM Mahendra Kumar has been appointed as the Managing Director of the Electricity Company (SBPDCL) and will also serve as the Director of the Sports Department, Bihar State Hydroelectric Corporation, Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency (BREDA), and Managing Director of the Bihar State Power Generation Company Limited.
Additionally, Ashutosh Kumar Verma, previously the Managing Director of Bihar State Seed Corporation and Director of the Sports Department, has been appointed as the DM of Nawada. Prashant Kumar CH, the outgoing Nawada DM, has been transferred to the role of Director of the Social Welfare Department. He will also manage the responsibilities of Director of Social Security and Chief General Manager of the Bihar Vikas Mission.
The author is a Patna based journalist
