The Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday (12.09.2024) appointed retired IFS officer Rajiv Kumar (Retd.IFS:1988:HP) as the new Chairman of Himachal Pradesh Rajya Chayan Aayog (HPRCA), Hamirpur. Along with this, two new members were also appointed: retired Navy officer Rupan Bembe and Sukhdev Singh, a 2005 batch HAS officer. The chairman and both members have been appointed for a two-year term.
His last posting was as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force), when he retired from the service on July 31, 2024.
The HPRCA was constituted on 30 September 2023 and now, with the appointment of Rajiv Kumar and the two members, the commission now has a fully independent leadership. Until now, the post of Chairman was being held temporarily by IAS officer RK Puruthi, who had been given an additional charge.
Notably, Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission located at Hamirpur was dissolved following paper leak was detected on December 23, 2022, when the vigilance arrested a senior assistant of the commission. To establish new commission, the state government had constituted the Sanan Committee under the chairmanship of Deepak Sanan. HPRCA was formed on the recommendations of the Sanan committee.
The newly formed Aayog is expected to oversee recruitment with greater transparency and integrity, addressing concerns that arose from the earlier incident.
