The Gujarat government has undertaken a major bureaucratic reshuffle ahead of the budget session of the state assembly, transferring 68 IAS officers on Saturday. The reorganisation includes six in-situ promotions, along with the transfer of nine collectors and 16 district development officers (DDOs).
Commissioner of Technical Education Banchha Nidhi Pani has been appointed as Ahmedabad municipal commissioner, replacing M Thennarasan. Bhavnagar municipal commissioner Sujeet Kumar has been named Ahmedabad collector, replacing Praveena D K. Thennarasan has been promoted to principal secretary rank and transferred to the sports, youth and cultural activities department. Praveena D K has been appointed as managing director of Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC), while Bhavnagar collector R K Mehta has been given additional charge of Bhavnagar municipal commissioner.
Four IAS officers of the 2000 batch have been promoted to the rank of principal secretary. Of these, three have received in-situ promotions, while one has been transferred. The officers promoted in situ include Vinod Rao, secretary, labour, skill development and employment; Anupam Anand, transport commissioner; and Milind Torawane, managing director, Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC).
Among other transfers, Swaroop P, commissioner of land reforms, has been appointed as industries commissioner. Avantika Singh Aulakh, secretary to the chief minister, has been given additional charge as managing director of Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited, relieving Swaroop P of that responsibility.
Pravin Solanki, commissioner of cottage and rural industries, has been appointed as director general of the Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute. Rahul Gupta, managing director of GIDC, has been transferred and appointed as secretary, climate change department, while Ranjeeth Kumar J, secretary, Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC), has been given additional charge as state project director of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.
Remya Mohan Muthadath, commissioner of health, has been transferred and appointed as commissioner of municipalities administration and ex-officio managing director of Gujarat Urban Development Company Ltd.
Sabarkantha collector Ratankanvar Gadhavicharan has been appointed as commissioner of health, while Lalit Narayan Singh Sandu, state director of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, has been named the new Sabarkantha collector.
Mehsana collector Nagarajan M has been appointed as managing director of Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC), and Kutch DDO S K Prajapati has been appointed as Mehsana collector.
Vadodara collector B A Shah has been transferred and appointed as settlement commissioner and director of land records. Chhota Udepur collector Anil Dhameliya has been named as the new collector of Vadodara. B K Pandya, Jamnagar collector, has been transferred and appointed as commissioner of land reforms, while Porbandar DDO K B Thakkar has been named as the new Jamnagar collector.
G T Pandya, collector of Devbhumi Dwarka, has been transferred and appointed as additional secretary in the education department. He will be replaced by Surendranagar DDO R M Tanna.
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