The newly elected Rajasthan government led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in its first bureaucratic reshuffle has transferred 40 IAS and 8 Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) officers on Tuesday evening.
According to the reports, IAS officer of 1994 batch Kuldeep Ranka, who was earlier the principal secretary for tourism and forest, has now been appointed as principal secretary to the chief minister. He has replaced Tanmay Kumar, who has been shunted out of chief minister’s office (CMO) and posted as Commissioner, command area development in Bikaner. Ashok Gehlot had frequently criticised Kumar by referring to him as the “de-facto chief minister” of the state.
Gehlot has also promoted four IAS to secretaries and has appointed them in the CMO to assist him. Ranka would be assisted by secretary Ajitabh Sharma and two joint secretaries Arti Dogra and Rajan Vishal. Eight RAS officers have also been brought to the CMO as joint secretaries and OSD. Ajitabh Sharma and Rajan Vishal have been appointed as secretary and joint secretary to the chief minister.
Addition to that, additional chief secretary, excise and taxation, Mukesh Sharma, has been appointed as chairman of the Revenue Board in Ajmer, and additional chief secretary Rajeeva Swarup, will be taking charge of the home department from the department of industries while Veenu Gupta is the new additional chief secretary, PWD.
Sudarshan Sethi will now be additional chief secretary forest and environment and mines, Giriraj Singh has been appointed as chairman of the Rajasthan Civil Services Appellate Tribunal. Dr Subodh Agarwal has been appointed as additional chief secretary industries and DMIC, the release said.