JAMMU, Oct. 8
The Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered a major administrative reshuffle involving 42 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers and seven Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) officers, affecting 49 officers across the Union Territory’s civil administration.
The transfers and adjustments represent a substantial reorganisation of administrative responsibilities, with changes expected across departments and field-level offices.
The reshuffle involves officers from both the IAS and JKAS cadres, which perform key roles in implementing government policies, supervising development programmes and managing public administration.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha ordered the transfers and adjustments on October 7, with several senior officers assigned new departmental portfolios and district-level responsibilities.
Among the senior-level changes, Vikas Kundal, who was serving as Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board, has been appointed Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, replacing Ramesh Kumar. Kundal will also hold additional charge as Additional Chief Executive Officer of the Jammu Metropolitan Regional Development Authority.
Ramesh Kumar has been posted as Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department. He will additionally oversee the Culture Department and continue as Resident Commissioner of the Jammu and Kashmir government in New Delhi.
Shaleen Kabra, Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary), Jal Shakti Department, has been assigned additional charge of the Revenue Department. He already holds additional responsibilities relating to the Financial Commissioner, Revenue, and the Estates Department.
Dr Ashish Chandra Verma has been transferred from the Tourism Department to head the Agriculture Production Department as Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary).
M Raju will continue as Commissioner Secretary in the General Administration Department and take additional charge of Hospitality and Protocol and Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction.
Saugat Biswas has been appointed Commissioner Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department, relieving Raju of the additional charge.
R Alice Vaz has been moved to the Transport Department, with additional responsibilities for Civil Aviation and Information.
Sarmad Hafeez has been transferred from Social Welfare to Youth Services and Sports, while Avny Lavasa has been appointed Secretary, Tourism Department, retaining additional charge of Tribal Affairs.
The reshuffle also includes several important changes involving Deputy Commissioners.
Minga Sherpa, previously Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur, has been appointed Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, replacing Rakesh Minhas. Minhas has been posted as Chief Executive Officer of the State Health Agency, with additional charge of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission.
Dr Devansh Yadav has been transferred from Jammu Municipal Corporation to serve as Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri. Abhishek Sharma moves from Rajouri to Kupwara, while Ananth Dwivedi takes over as Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur.
Jatin Kishore has been appointed Deputy Commissioner, Budgam, replacing Athar Aamir Ul Shafi Khan, who has been posted as Managing Director of the National Health Mission.
Dr Rupesh Kumar has been appointed Deputy Commissioner, Samba, while Ayushi Sudan moves from Samba to become Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation.
In Kashmir, Basharat Qayoom has been transferred from Pulwama to serve as Commissioner, Srinagar Municipal Corporation, with additional responsibility for the Srinagar Smart City project.
Kuldeep Krishan Sidha has been appointed Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama, and Charandeep Singh has been posted as Deputy Commissioner, Shopian.
Shrikant Balasaheb Suse, who was serving as Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara, has been appointed Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board.
The government has also reassigned several officers overseeing major development and public-service programmes.
Rahul Yadav has been appointed Administrative Secretary, Information Technology Department, while retaining additional charge as Managing Director of the Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited.
Owais Ahmed has been appointed Administrative Secretary, Planning, Development and Monitoring Department, while Dr Sagar Doifode Dattatray will head the Social Welfare Department.
Akriti Sagar has been appointed Managing Director of the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation, with additional charge as Chief Executive Officer of the Economic Reconstruction Agency.
Anjali Sehrawat has been transferred from the Jal Jeevan Mission to the Public Grievances Department, while Anoo Malhotra has been appointed Mission Director, Jal Jeevan Mission.
Vivek Agarwal has been appointed Director, Employment, with additional charge as Chief Executive Officer of Mission YUVA.
Mamta Yadav has been posted as Director, Information, while Vikas Ahlawat takes over as Labour Commissioner.
The transfers also cover administrative positions in the Revenue, Agriculture, Cooperative Societies, Archives, Skill Development and Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board establishments.
The government has not publicly specified a single administrative objective behind the reshuffle. The orders, however, redistribute responsibilities across major departments, district administrations, municipal bodies and public-service institutions.
