Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has objected to the Civil Services Board’s recommendation to post IAS officer Nikita Pawar (IAS:2012:AGMUT) as General Manager of the Food Corporation of India, Punjab Region, headquartered in Chandigarh.
In a demi-official letter sent on Monday to Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, Mann said the proposed posting departs from a long-followed administrative practice. He pointed out that the GM (Punjab Region) post has traditionally gone to IAS officers from the Punjab cadre, given the state’s central role in national food grain procurement.
Referring to his earlier letter of November 6, 2025, Mann noted that Joshi had written back on December 22, conveying the Board’s recommendation. He urged the Union government to reconsider the decision, citing what he described as widespread concern and public disquiet in Punjab. Mann stressed that since the FCI was set up in 1965, the Punjab Region has always been headed by Punjab cadre officers, a practice he said was rooted in administrative necessity rather than convention.
The Chief Minister underlined that FCI’s work in Punjab is closely tied to the state’s agricultural system. Officers from the Punjab cadre, he argued, bring on-ground familiarity with local procurement cycles, storage networks and distribution arrangements. That experience, he said, is critical for smooth coordination between the Centre and the state, particularly as Punjab continues to be one of the largest contributors to the central food grain pool.
Addressing the Centre’s contention that officers from outside Punjab have also served in the role, Mann enclosed what he said was a detailed historical record. According to the data shared, all 23 regular appointments to the GM (Punjab Region) post over the last six decades were from the Punjab cadre, while officers from other cadres were assigned only temporary or ad hoc charge.
Mann maintained that his objection was not directed at any individual officer. The issue, he said, was about administrative efficiency, safeguarding farmers’ interests and maintaining public confidence in the procurement system.
He also informed the Union Minister that the Punjab government has already sent a panel of eligible Punjab cadre IAS officers and is prepared to forward a fresh panel if required. Mann reiterated his request that the Centre appoint a Punjab cadre officer as General Manager of FCI, Punjab Region.
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