In a significant administrative overhaul, the Punjab government executed a major reshuffle on Saturday, resulting in the transfer of 18 IAS (Indian Administrative Service) and two Punjab Civil Services (PCS) officers within the state.
Ajoy Sharma has been entrusted with the responsibilities of both the Health and Local Bodies Departments, replacing Vivek Pratap Singh, who has been reassigned to the position of Principal Secretary in the Technical Education and Industrial Training Department. Other key appointments include Jaspreet Talwar taking charge of Employment Generation and Amit Dhaka continuing as the Director of the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration (MGSIPA).
Additionally, A.K. Sinha has been relieved of the Housing and Urban Development Department but will continue as the Principal Secretary of Finance and Housing and Urban Development. V.K. Meena has been named Principal Secretary of Social Empowerment and Minorities and will also retain the Principal Secretary position in the Printing and Stationery Department.
D.S. Mangat and Arun Sekhri have swapped roles, with Mangat becoming the Patiala Division Commissioner and Arun Sekhri being appointed as the Commissioner of the Ferozpur Division.
Ritu Aggarwal, formerly the Secretary of the Cooperative Department, has been appointed as the Secretary of the Punjab State Right to Information Commission. Manjeet Singh Brar is the new Commissioner in the Faridkot Division.
Several additional charges have been assigned, including Devinder Pal Singh Kharbanda as the Director of Industries, Varinder Kumar Sharma as the Managing Director of Punjab Health System Corporation, and Ghanshyam Thori as the new Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar. Puneet Goyal has been named the Director of the Food and Supplies Department.
Sheena Aggarwal has taken over as the Director of the Social Security, Women, and Child Development Department, while Harpreet Singh Sudan is now the Director of Technical Education, with an additional responsibility as Director of Printing and Stationery.
Amrit Singh has been appointed as the Director of Higher Education and the Director of Employment Generation, as well as the Secretary of Lokpal. Neeru Katyal Gupta will assume the role of Director of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. K.K. Garg has been appointed as the Managing Director of Milkfed, with additional responsibilities.
PCS officer Sukhjit Pal Singh has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Health Department, while Jagjit Singh will serve as Secretary to the State Election Commission.