MP Transfers IAS Officers, Changes Collectors In 11 Districts

Madhya Pradesh witnessed a major administrative reshuffle on Tuesday night, with the government releasing a transfer list of Indian Administrative Service officers. Collectors were changed in 11 districts, while several important appointments were also made at the ministry level.

Sukhveer Singh has been appointed the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister. He has also been given the additional charge of the Public Works Department, or PWD. Bharat Yadav has been given the additional charge of Secretary, Public Relations Department.

The administrative changes cover Harda, Narmadapuram, Balaghat, Singrauli, Jabalpur, Raisen, Shajapur, Bhind, Panna, Burhanpur and Mauganj. While some officers have been moved to the ministry, others have been given charge of district administrations once again.

The reshuffle also gives several 2017-batch officers the responsibility of serving as collectors. With these appointments, the government has placed them in key field administration roles across different districts.

The changes in Harda and Narmadapuram have attracted particular attention. According to sources, both districts saw administrative changes amid questions about the role of the administration during the moong procurement agitation. However, the official reasons behind these transfers still need to be confirmed by the government.

Panna has also seen a change in leadership. Collector Usha Parmar has been removed from the post. Her transfer has become a subject of discussion amid allegations of negligence in matters linked to the Ken-Betwa project. She has been appointed Additional Secretary in the Horticulture and Food Processing Department.

Hर्ष Singh, who was serving as the Collector of Burhanpur, has been transferred to Panna and given charge of the district. Burhanpur will now have a new collector.

Kumar Satyam, who was serving in Balaghat, has been appointed the Collector of Harda. His transfer from Balaghat is being discussed after the case involving the deaths of children in the district. However, instead of removing him from the post of collector, the government has assigned him the responsibility of another district.

Aditya Singh has been appointed the new Collector of Balaghat. He has earlier served as the Collector of Harda and Ashoknagar. During his posting in Ashoknagar, allegations of accepting a bribe were made against him. Those allegations were described as fake, and he was subsequently removed from the post. He has now once again been given charge of a district.

Harda’s current Collector Siddharth Jain has been appointed Deputy Secretary in the Commercial Tax Department. With this transfer, the district will begin a new phase under a different administrative leadership.

In Narmadapuram, Collector Somesh Mishra has been given the responsibility of Director, AIDS Control Society, as well as Director, Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation. Ashish Vashishth has been appointed the new Collector of Narmadapuram in his place.

Singrauli Collector Gaurav Bainal has been transferred to the General Administration Department and the Employee Administration Department as Deputy Secretary. He has also been appointed Director of the Employee Selection Board.

Ankit Asthana, who was serving as Deputy Secretary in the ministry, has been appointed the Collector of Singrauli. This gives Asthana another opportunity to serve as a district collector.

There has also been a change in the administration of Jabalpur. Jabalpur Collector Raghavendra Singh has been appointed Managing Director-cum-Commissioner of the Agriculture Marketing Board. Arun Kumar Vishwakarma, who was serving as the Collector of Raisen, has been transferred to Jabalpur.

Rohit Sisonia has been given charge of Raisen. The change means that both Jabalpur and Raisen will now have new administrative leadership.

Shajapur Collector Riju Bafna has been appointed Additional Commissioner, Revenue, in the Ujjain Division. Parikshit Sanjayarav Jhade, who was serving as the Chief Executive Officer of the Indore Development Authority, has been appointed the new Collector of Shajapur.

Bhind has also been included in the reshuffle. Collector Kirodi Lal Meena has been appointed Deputy Secretary in the Finance Department. Pawan Kumar Jain has been appointed the new Collector of Bhind.

After the transfer of Harsh Singh from Burhanpur to Panna, Vivek Kumar has been appointed the new Collector of Burhanpur. The district will therefore also see a change in its administrative leadership.

Mauganj Collector Sanjay Kumar Jain has been appointed Deputy Secretary in the Farmer Welfare and Agriculture Development Department. Rajesh Kumar Ogre will take over as the new Collector of Mauganj.

The reshuffle is not limited to the districts. Several important responsibilities have also been redistributed in the ministry. Senior IAS officer Rashmi Arun Shami has been appointed Additional Chief Secretary of the Public Health and Medical Education Department. She has also been given the responsibility of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department.

K.C. Gupta has been given the additional charge of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department. John Kingsley A. R. has been appointed Secretary of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, or MSME, Department.

Shobhit Jain has received the additional charge of the Cottage and Village Industries Department. Sanket S. Bhondve has been given the additional charge of Residential Commissioner at Madhya Pradesh Bhawan in New Delhi.

Swatantra Kumar Singh has been appointed Secretary of the Industrial Policy and Investment Promotion Department. These appointments have changed the distribution of responsibilities in several departments dealing with administration, public services, industry and investment.

There have also been new postings in the industry-related departments. The changes come at a time when preparations connected with investment activities and industrial development are under way in the state.

According to the available information, Kumar Purushottam is expected to be appointed Secretary of the Industry Department and given the additional charge of the MSME Department. However, this posting still needs to be confirmed through an official order.

Sandeep Kerketta has been appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the Indore Development Authority, or IDA. Anshuman Raj has been appointed Managing Director of the Madhya Pradesh State Electronics Development Corporation. He has also been appointed Mission Director of the Samagra Social Security Mission.

The reshuffle points to three major changes in the state administration. First, a new team has been put in place in the districts, with collectors being changed in 11 districts and new responsibilities being assigned for field administration.

Second, 2017-batch officers have been given the opportunity to lead district administrations. These appointments place younger officers in important roles that involve the implementation of government schemes and the handling of public issues at the district level.

Third, responsibilities have been redistributed in key departments at the ministry. The changes cover the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Public Health and Medical Education, industry, MSME and Public Relations, among other departments.

Following the reshuffle, the role of the newly appointed officers in the day-to-day administration of the concerned districts and departments will be watched closely. Their work will include the implementation of schemes, the functioning of the administration and the resolution of public grievances. However, the government’s official explanation for some of the transfers, particularly those involving Harda, Narmadapuram and Panna, is still awaited.