Special Correspondent
NewsBits.in
Bhopal: Iqbal Singh Bains, additional chief secretary to chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and considered one of his favourite officers, has been given the charge of the newly crafted happiness department in the state.
Happiness department is a pet initiative of chief minister Chouhan with Madhya Pradesh first state in country to craft a department. The department aims to find ways to make lives of people of state for happy and fulfilled.
In a major reshuffle of IAS officers carried out on Monday, the MP government gave new assignments to 33 officers including Bains and also added or took away additional charges from 15 more officers. Bains, a 1985 batch officer would also continue to be additional chief secretary of energy department.
Ashok Barnwal, a comparatively low profile officer of 1991 batch, has been made principal secretary to the chief minister. Barnwal was till now PS in the food and civil supplies department.
Barnwal’s shift to the chief minister’s secretariat came as a last minute move, according to sources. Frontrunner JS Kansotiya, principal secretary of women and child development department wasn’t favoured apparently because he heads a caste-based organization of government officers.
The state government that is already facing heat for its stand on reservation in promotion, did not want to alienate a large section of employees and voters, sources said.
A highlight of the reshuffle was that RS Julania, who was holding charge of water resources department for more than six years was finally relieved of the charge. Pankaj Agrawal has been made the principal secretary of the department. Julania would continue to hold charge of panchayat and rural development department.
Deepali Rastogi, a 1994 batch officer who was made health commissioner just six months ago was shunted to far lesser important department of scheduled tribe welfare.
See Link for the reshuffle list
(http://www.mpinfo.org/MPinfoStatic/other_updates/IAS-List-22Aug.pdf)
(Photo courtesy: patrika.com)
