Kerala transfers around four dozen IAS officers in massive bureaucratic reshuffle; B Ashok, N Prashanth get key posts

In one of the biggest administrative reshuffles in recent years, the Kerala government has transferred around four dozen IAS officers through a single order, triggering a major reorganisation across key departments of the state administration.

Among the notable developments, Dr B Ashok (IAS:1998:KL), whose suspension was revoked on June 6, has been posted as Principal Secretary, Higher Education Department upon reinstatement into service.

Another key posting is that of N Prashanth (IAS:2007:KL), whose suspension was also revoked on June 6. On reinstatement, he has been appointed as Special Secretary, Sports Department. In addition, he has been entrusted with full additional charge of Special Secretary, Youth Affairs, Zoos, Museum, Archaeology and Archives Departments.

The names of the officers and their postings are as follows;

1. Bishwanath Sinha (IAS:1992:KL), Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Vigilance Department, has been given full additional charge of the Coir Development and Housing Department in addition to his existing additional charge of the Water Resources Department. The officer has been relieved of the charge of Additional Chief Secretary, Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation Department.
2. K R Jyothilal (IAS:1993:KL), Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department, has been assigned full additional charge of the Planning and Economic Affairs Department and Member Secretary, Kerala State Planning Board. He will continue to hold additional charges of the Taxes Department, Rebuild Kerala Initiative and Public Procurement Advisory Department.
3. Puneet Kumar (IAS:1993:KL), Resident Commissioner, Kerala House, New Delhi, has been relieved of all additional charges.
4. Dr Rajan N Khobragade (IAS:1993:KL), Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, has been relieved of the additional charges of Cultural Affairs (Archaeology, Archives and Museums), Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department and Personnel and Administrative Reforms (Official Language) Department. The officer will continue to hold additional charge of Additional Chief Secretary, AYUSH Department.
5. Minhaj Alam (IAS:1996:KL), Chairman and Managing Director, Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd., has been transferred and posted as Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Department and Agriculture Production Commissioner. He has also been entrusted with additional charges of Additional Chief Secretary, Sports, Youth Affairs, Zoos, Museum, Archaeology and Archives Departments. The officer has been relieved of charges relating to Forests and Wildlife, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Museum (Zoo) Department.
6. Dr Sharmila Mary Joseph (IAS:1997:KL), Principal Secretary, Woman and Child Development Department, has been transferred and posted as Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department. She has also been given full additional charge of Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department and relieved of all other charges.
7. Tinku Biswal (IAS:1997:KL), Principal Secretary, Local Self Government Department, has been relieved of the charge of Agriculture Department. The officer will continue to hold additional charge as Director General, Institute of Management in Government.
8. Dr B Ashok (IAS:1998:KL) has been posted as Principal Secretary, Higher Education Department.
9. Rathan U Kelkar (IAS:2003:KL), Secretary to Chief Minister, has been assigned full additional charges of Secretary, Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation Department, Information and Public Relations Department and Department for the Welfare of the Elderly, in addition to his existing assignments.
10. Biju K (IAS:2006:KL), Secretary, Public Works Department, has been transferred and posted as Secretary, Forests and Wildlife Department. He will also hold full additional charges of Skill Development Department and Cashew Department, in addition to his existing additional charges of General Administration Department and Tourism Department.
11. N Prashanth (IAS:2007:KL) has been posted as Special Secretary, Sports Department. The officer will also hold full additional charge of Special Secretary, Youth Affairs, Zoos, Museum, Archaeology and Archives Departments.
12. The services of M G Rajamanickam (IAS:2008:KL), Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, have been placed at the disposal of the Power Department for appointment as Chairman and Managing Director, Kerala State Electricity Board Limited. The officer will additionally hold charges of Secretary, Power, Environment and Parliamentary Affairs Departments. He has been relieved of charges of Revenue, Disaster Management, Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Departments and will continue to hold charge in the Devaswom Department.
13. T V Anupama (IAS:2010:KL), Secretary, Local Self Government Department, has been transferred and posted as Secretary, Transport Department. She has also been given full additional charge of Airports, Metro Rail, Personnel and Administrative Reforms and Personnel and Administrative Reforms (Official Language) Departments.
14. Jeevan Babu K (IAS:2011:KL), Commissioner, Land Revenue, has been transferred and posted as Special Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department.
15. Suhas S (IAS:2012:KL), Managing Director, Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala and Special Officer for Wayanad Township, has been transferred and posted as Special Secretary, Water Resources Department.
16. Seeram Sambasiva Rao (IAS:2012:KL), Excise Commissioner, has been relieved of the charges of Special Secretary, Environment Department and Director, Survey and Land Records Department. The officer will continue to hold additional charge of the Electronics and Information Technology Department.
17. Dr Adeela Abdulla (IAS:2012:KL), Special Secretary, Social Justice Department, has been transferred and posted as Special Secretary, Public Works Department.
18. Shanavas S (IAS:2012:KL), Special Secretary, Labour and Skills Department, has been transferred and posted as Special Secretary, Local Self Government Department. The officer has also been given full additional charges of Managing Director, Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala Ltd., Special Officer, Capital Region Development Project (CRDP) and Chairperson, Social Audit Society Kerala.
19. Abdul Nasar B (IAS:2012:KL), Special Secretary, Fisheries Department, has been assigned full additional charge of Harbour Engineering Department and Social Justice Department.
20. Dr D Sajith Babu (IAS:2012:KL), Registrar of Co-operative Societies, has been transferred and posted as Special Secretary, General Education Department. He has also been given full additional charge of Special Secretary, Minority Welfare Department. The officer has been relieved of the charge of State Mission Director, National AYUSH Mission.
21. Gopalakrishnan K (IAS:2013:KL), Managing Director, Vyttila Mobility Hub Society, has been transferred and posted as Director, Environment and Climate Change. The officer will also hold full additional charges of Director, ANERT and Managing Director, Kerala State Co-operative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank.
22. T V Subhash (IAS:2013:KL), Special Secretary, Information and Public Relations Department, has been transferred and posted as Special Secretary, Agriculture Department. The officer has been relieved of the charge of Managing Director, Kerala State Co-operative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank.
23. Anjana M (IAS:2013:KL), Director of Tourism, has been given full additional charges of Special Secretary, Culture, NORKA and Science and Technology Departments.
24. Sheeba George (IAS:2013:KL), Special Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, has been transferred and posted as Special Secretary, Woman and Child Development Department. She has also been given full additional charges of Labour Department and Dairy Development and Animal Husbandry Department.
25. H Dineshan (IAS:2013:KL), Executive Director, Kudumbashree, has been transferred and posted as Commissioner, Land Revenue against the ex-cadre post created above. The officer will also hold full additional charge of Commissioner of Disaster Management.
26. Divya S Iyer (IAS:2014:KL), Project Director, Kerala Solid Waste Management Project, has been transferred and posted as Principal Director, Local Self Government Department against the ex-cadre post created above. The officer will also hold full additional charges of Project Director, Kerala Solid Waste Management Project and State Mission Director, National AYUSH Mission. She has been relieved of the charges of Managing Director, Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited and Director, Cultural Affairs Department.
27. Afsana Perween (IAS:2014:KL), Commissioner of Food Safety, has been transferred and posted as Director, Collegiate Education. The officer will also hold full additional charge of Controller of Entrance Examinations.
28. Geromic George (IAS:2015:KL), Principal Director, Local Self Government Department, has been transferred and posted as Additional Secretary and Officer on Special Duty, Finance (Expenditure) Department. The officer will also hold full additional charges of Managing Director, Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited and Chief Executive Officer, Kerala Maritime Board.
29. Vigneshwari V (IAS:2015:KL), Director, Women and Child Development Department, has been assigned full additional charge of Executive Director, Kudumbashree.
30. Dr Renu Raj (IAS:2015:KL) has been posted as Additional Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department. She will also hold additional charges of Director, Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd, Director, Kerala Health Research and Welfare Society and Executive Director, State Health Systems Resource Centre.
31. Shibu A (IAS:2015:KL), Additional Secretary, Public Works Department, has been transferred and posted as Additional Secretary, Revenue Department.
32. Devidas N (IAS:2015:KL), Director, Kerala Institute of Local Administration, has been given full additional charge of Director, Minority Welfare Department.
33. Vinod V R (IAS:2015:KL), Joint Commissioner, Land Revenue, has been transferred and posted as Additional Secretary, Public Works Department.
34. Asif K Yusuf (IAS:2016:KL), Director General of Education, has been transferred and posted as Director, NORKA. The officer will also hold full additional charge of Chief Executive Officer, NORKA Roots, in addition to his existing additional charges.
35. Snehil Kumar Singh (IAS:2016:KL), Director, Collegiate Education, has been transferred and posted as Director of General Education. The officer will also hold full additional charge of Chief Executive Officer, Education Rejuvenation Mission.
36. Prem Krishnan S (IAS:2017:KL), Joint Secretary and Officer on Special Duty, Health and Family Welfare Department, has been transferred and posted as Registrar, Co-operative Societies. The officer will also hold additional charge of Director, Cultural Affairs Department.
37. Sreedhanya Suresh (IAS:2019:KL), Additional Director (General), Tourism, has been transferred and posted as Commissioner, Food Safety. She will also hold full additional charges of Additional Director (General), Tourism and Director, Samoohika Sannadha Sena and Kerala Youth Leadership Academy.
38. Rahul Krishna Sharma (IAS:2019:KL), Joint Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, has been transferred and posted as Special Commissioner, GST. The officer has been relieved of all other charges.
39. Mohammed Shafiq (IAS:2020:KL), Deputy Secretary and Director, Programme Implementation, Evaluation and Monitoring Department, has been transferred and posted as Additional Commissioner, GST. The officer will continue to hold full additional charge of Deputy Secretary and Director, Programme Implementation, Evaluation and Monitoring Department.
40. Safna Nazarudeen (IAS:2020:KL), Labour Commissioner, has been assigned full additional charge of Joint Commissioner, Land Revenue.
41. The services of Anu S Nair (IAS:2020:KL), Deputy Secretary, Revenue Department, have been placed at the disposal of the Health and Family Welfare Department for appointment as State Mission Director, National Health Mission. The officer will also hold additional charges of State Mission Director, National AYUSH Mission, Project Director, e-Health and Executive Director, State Health Agency.
42. Dr Arun J O (IAS:2020:KL), Chief Operating Officer, Township Project, Wayanad, has been transferred and posted as Director, Survey and Land Records Department. The officer will also hold full additional charges of Special Officer, Wayanad Township Project and Director, State Water Transport Department.
43. Sabin Sameed (IAS:2020:KL), Secretary, Land Board, has been assigned full additional charges of Director, Information and Public Relations Department and Director, Institute of Land and Disaster Management, Thiruvananthapuram.
44. Misal Sagar Bharat (IAS:2021:KL), Deputy Secretary and Officer on Special Duty, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes Development Department, has been transferred and posted as Project Director, Kerala State Transport Project. The officer will also hold full additional charges of Managing Director, Vyttila Mobility Hub Society and Managing Director, Kerala State Construction Corporation Ltd. He has been relieved of the charge of Director, Backward Classes Development Department.
45. Harshil R Meena (IAS:2021:KL), Chief Executive Officer, ANERT, has been transferred and posted as Managing Director, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation. The officer will also hold full additional charge of Chief Executive Officer, Smart City Thiruvananthapuram.
46. Ranjith D (IAS:2021:KL), Mission Director, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, has been assigned full additional charge of Director, Backward Classes Development Department.