Divisional Commissioner post apparently reduced to a formality!
Jaipur: It appears that the role and significance of divisional commissioners in the state’s administration have been largely reduced to a formality. Chief Secretary Sudhansh Pant recently expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of divisional commissioners during a high-level meeting with officials.
It has been observed that governments have themselves pushed this post to the margins. That is why the DoP is not at all serious about handing over the responsibility of this post to or posting IAS officers.
has also been reflected in the Department of Personnel’s (DoP) casual approach toward assigning responsibilities or ensuring proper postings of IAS officers to this position. The former Congress government undermined the significance, utility and dignity of this position by creating three new, small and impractical divisions—Pali, Banswara and Sikar.
\Thankfully, the Bhajan Lal government reversed this decision. But now, even the original seven divisions that have remained unchanged are in disarray. Experts are surprised that following Kota, the charge of Bikaner Divisional Commissioner has been handed over to Bikaner Collector Namrata Vrishni upon the retirement of Vandana Singhvi. Namrata, an IAS officer of 2013 batch, is relatively junior. Along with the role of Divisional Commissioner, the Department of Personnel (DoP) has also assigned her two additional charges—Commissioner of Command Area Development and Commissioner of Colonization. Similarly, Kota Collector Ravindra Goswami, 2016-batch IAS officer, has been handling the responsibilities of Divisional Commissioner since January 2024. It is concerning how these two relatively junior IAS officers will manage the significant responsibilities of a Divisional Commissioner.
The Department of Personnel’s step-motherly treatment toward this post has been ongoing, especially with Udaipur division. There, the additional charge of Divisional Commissioner has been handed over to TAD Commissioner Pragya Kewelramani. Similarly, the additional charge of Bharatpur Divisional Commissioner is being managed by Jaipur Divisional Commissioner Rashmi Gupta, an IAS officer from 2008 batch. Only in Jodhpur, with Pratibha Singh (2007 batch IAS) and in Ajmer, with Mahesh Chandra Sharma (2007 batch IAS), are full-time Divisional Commissioners actively handling their responsibilities.
Interestingly, both Rashmi Gupta and Mahesh Chandra Sharma are set to retire after five months, in May 2025. This will compel the Department of Personnel to work harder to find two new Divisional Commissioners to fill their positions. Administrative experts point out that the Divisional Commissioner system in the state was abolished in 1962, when there were only five divisions. The system was revived in 1987, along with the creation of a new, smaller Jaipur division.
Later, in 2005, Bharatpur was established as the seventh division. Many states in the country—such as Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Telangana—do not have a Divisional Commissioner system at all. Considering the treatment this system has received from previous governments in Rajasthan, experts suggest that the state should once again abolish the Divisional Commissioner post and system, similar to what was done in 1962. The Bhajan Lal government could consider this matter seriously
