CM gives Modi’s ‘no vendetta’ & ‘women empowerment’ mandate a major push!

Jaipur: Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘No political vendetta’ mandate with utmost honesty in the latest IAS transfers, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has also given the message of ‘Women empowerment’ through the change as 5 female IAS have been appointed as Secretary of Departments, one has been made JDC, while one young IAS has been appointed on the chair of Joint Secretary of Home Department. It should be noted that in the IAS transfer list issued last week, seven female officers were appointed as Collectors of various districts. In the reshuffle that occurred on Wednesday, two female IAS were accorded the additional charge of the Secretary of two departments, which is also worth mentioning here.

Along with Akhil Arora, the entire team of the Finance Department has been kept as it is as both Secretaries, Excise Commissioner, IG - Stamps, and Registration and CCT have not been shuffled. While Anand Kumar has been given a continuance in Home, two Secretaries under him - Bhanu Prakash Yeturu and Archana Singh have been shuffled and their replacements have not been appointed.

After a long ‘Vanvaas’ Ajitabh Sharma has returned to the mainstream and the new government has elevated him and handed him the reins of the entire Industries Sector. Along with MSME, the important responsibility of the Chairman, RIICO has also been handed to him. It is after a long time that the Principal Secretary has been appointed as RIICO Chairman. In the previous government, the Principal Secretary to the CM held this responsibility.

The responsibilities to Sreya Guha, Anand Kumar, Bhaskar A Sawant, Vaibhav Galriya, Prithvi Raj, and Ashutosh AT Pednekar have been lessened wherein, Abhay Kumar’s position has been kept intact by giving him additional charge of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development in addition to Water Resources. Although it was believed that he would be given a major responsibility.

It is the second time that a female IAS has been given the reins of JDA. Before this, in 2003, Usha Sharma was appointed as JDC in 2003. Among the 29 Commissioners of JDA, only 2 have been women.

Moreover, this too has also happened for the first time that the reins of the Cooperative department have been handed to two female officers. Along with Secretary - Suchi Tyagi, the post of Registrar Cooperatives has also been given to another female officer - Archana Singh.

It will be a challenge for Samit Sharma to handle a complex and ‘burdened’ department like PHED. How he sticks to the rule book and runs a disciplined show, keeping that in mind, it may be difficult to keep the engineers under control and manage getting work out of them. As such DIPR is perhaps the best responsibility for him.

Hemant Gera has again not featured on any ‘hot seat’. He was waiting for several months for his transfer as his tenure in DoP has become too extended stretching for three years and three months. Gera is the second Principal Secretary, after Mukesh Sharma (three years and ten months) who has served for this long in DoP.

An interesting coincidence has occurred in Warehousing Corporation, where the additional charge of both Chairman and MD rests respectively with Vaibhav Galriya and KL Swami. This too has happened for the first time.

Kunji Lal Meena has been sent on a punishment posting of Chairman, Indira Gandhi Nahar Board. Moreover, despite a major shuffle, the posts of Director, Mines, Director, Civil Aviation, and Secretary, Home have remained vacant.