With senior IAS officer Sajjan Singh Yadav (IAS:1995:AGMUT) being appointed as new Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, a major reshuffle in top level of the administration is likely to take place soon. The reason: there are at least four IAS officers senior to him who need to be re-adjusted or relocated.
Yadav, who replaced Atal Dulloo (IAS:1989:AGMUT), is a 1995 batch officer while two officers posted as Financial Commissioners (Additional Chief Secretaries) in the UT administration are from the 1992 batch and one each from the 1993 and 1994 batches. Besides, there are two others from the same 1995 batch.
Hence Yadav’s appointment to the top bureaucratic post has now created a need to either upgrade his seniors to the Chief Secretary rank or send them on central deputation. Also, the officers senior to Yadav can be posted out of Jammu and Kashmir in other states/UTs of the AGMUT cadre.
Shaleen Kabra (IAS:1992:AGMUT) is currently posted as Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary) in the Jal Shakti Department with additional charge of FC Revenue and Administrative Secretary, Estates and Revenue.
Similarly, another officer of the 1992 batch is Ashwani Kumar, serving as FC (ACS) in the Power Development Department with additional charge of Administrative Secretary, Mining. Both are senior to Sajjan Singh Yadav.
Vipul Pathak is also from the 1992 batch, but he is currently on central deputation.
Similarly, Dheeraj Gupta is a 1993 batch officer serving as ACS to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and Ashish Chandra Verma is a 1994 batch officer, currently posted as Financial Commissioner (ACS), Agriculture Production Department.
Navin Choudhary is another officer of the 1994 batch from erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir cadre (now part of AGMUT), but he is presently posted in Delhi.
In this way, top hierarchy of the J&K administration is likely to witness a major reshuffle after Yadav takes over as the new CS on October 31. The officers senior to him may either be moved to the posts which can be declared equivalent to rank of the CS, or they can be sent on central deputation or other States/UTs which are part of AGMUT cadre.
Further, if some of the senior officers are moved out of J&K, the UT will get an equal number of officers from the AGMUT cadre posted elsewhere.
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