In a strategic move to enhance administrative readiness in light of escalating tensions along the Indo-Pak border, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Territory Government has appointed 12 senior officers—including IAS, IFS, and JKAS officials—as District Mentors. This high-level deployment aims to strengthen governance, ensure rapid crisis response, and improve coordination between departments at the district level.
This administrative reshuffle follows increased security concerns in the region, prompting the government to mobilise top-tier bureaucrats across strategically sensitive districts. The mentors will play a pivotal role in reviewing development and security-related matters while ensuring seamless communication between the UT administration and local authorities.
Of the 12 appointed mentors, nine are from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), one from the Indian Forest Service (IFS), and two from the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS). On Thursday, eight IAS officers were formally assigned to their respective districts, marking the beginning of a broader administrative deployment.
Key district assignments include:
- Shantmanu (IAS:1991) – Mentor for Srinagar
- H Rajesh Prasad (IAS:1995) – Budgam
- Santosh Dattatraya Vaidya (IAS:1998) – Pulwama
- Brij Mohan Sharma (IFS:1995) – Ramban
- Saurabh Bhagat (IAS:2002) – Ganderbal
- Sheetal Nanda (IAS:2006) – Udhampur
- Neeraj Kumar (IAS) – Kulgam
- Prasanna Ramaswamy G (IAS:2010) – Shopian
- Talat Parvez Rohella (IAS:2010) – Doda
- Mohammad Aijaz (IAS:2012) – Kishtwar
To ensure comprehensive administrative outreach, the UT Government also appointed two senior JKAS officers:
- Zubair Ahmad, Commissioner/Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs – Anantnag
- Babila Rakwal, Commissioner/Secretary, Cooperative Department – Reasi