The Rajasthan government has carried out a major reshuffle in the Forest Department, transferring and posting 69 Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers through a late-night order issued by the Department of Personnel.
The exercise also includes postings for 22 officers promoted from the Rajasthan Forest Service (RFS) to the IFS, while 14 IFS officers have been assigned additional responsibilities. The changes cover forest administration, wildlife, tiger reserves, ecotourism, biodiversity, technology and e-governance.
Arijit Banerjee Appointed PCCF-HoFF
Arijit Banerjee, who was heading the Forest Department, has been redesignated and appointed as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force (PCCF-HoFF).
The change brings Rajasthan’s Forest Department in line with the nomenclature used for the top forest post in several other states.
Shailja Deval Gets Environment and Climate Change Charge
Shailja Deval has been appointed Secretary, Environment and Climate Change Department.
She will also serve as Member Secretary, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).
Meanwhile, Vijay N, who was serving as Secretary, Environment and Climate Change Department, has been transferred as Chief Conservator of Forests (Establishment), Jaipur. He will also hold the additional charge of Chief Conservator of Forests (Coordination), Headquarters, Jaipur.
Anurag Bhardwaj Gets PCCF (IT) Role
Anurag Bhardwaj, earlier serving as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, has been posted as PCCF (IT), Rajasthan.
He has also been given additional charge as Chairman, Rajasthan Biodiversity Board, Jaipur, and Chief Project Director (EAP), Jaipur.
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Anup K R Shifted to Wildlife and Ecotourism
Anup K R, who was serving in Jodhpur, has been transferred as Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife and Ecotourism), Jaipur.
The assignment comes as Rajasthan continues to strengthen wildlife conservation and ecotourism management across protected areas.
New Directors for Tiger Reserves
The reshuffle brings new leadership to two important tiger reserves.
Suman Ram Jat has been appointed Director, Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve (RVTR), becoming the first director of the reserve.
Dr T Mohan Raj has been appointed Director, Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve. He will also hold the additional charge of Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Kota.
R N Meena has been appointed Divisional Chief Conservator of Forests, Kota.
Three IFS Officers Get Postings After APO
Three IFS officers who were under Awaiting Posting Orders (APO) have also received new assignments.
- Shashi Shankar — Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, Jodhpur
- Gaurav Garg — Deputy Conservator of Forests, e-Governance, Headquarters, Jaipur
- Akshay Jain — Assistant Conservator of Forests, Office of the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bharatpur
22 RFS Promotees Receive IFS Postings
The government has also issued postings for 22 officers promoted from the Rajasthan Forest Service to the Indian Forest Service.
The officers had received their IFS promotions around seven months ago and have now been assigned positions under the latest reshuffle.
Their deployment is expected to strengthen field-level forest administration across different divisions and specialised areas of the state.
14 IFS Officers Given Additional Charges
Several senior IFS officers have also been entrusted with additional responsibilities.
Among the officers receiving additional charges are:
- Shikha Mehra, PCCF (Development), Jaipur — additional charge of Managing Director, Rajasthan State Forest Development Corporation Ltd.
- Uday Shankar — additional charge of Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Administration and Training), Jaipur
- Rajesh Kumar Gupta — additional charges of Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Coordination), Jaipur and Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Labour Laws, Jaipur
- T J Kavitha — additional charge of CEO, CAMPA, Jaipur
- Hanuman Ram — additional charge of Additional Project Director, Rajasthan Forestry and Biodiversity Project, Jaipur
- Sunil — additional charge of Chief Conservator of Forests, Udaipur
- Dr T Mohan Raj — additional charge of Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Kota
- Ashutosh Ojha — additional charge of Chief Conservator of Forests, IT and e-Governance, Jaipur
- Ajay Chittora — additional charge of Chief Conservator of Forests, Jodhpur
- Ashok Kumar Mehariya — additional charge of Joint Project Director, Planning and Implementation, CRESEP, Jaipur
- Sudarshan Sharma — additional charge of Conservator of Forests, CAMPA, Jaipur
- Ashish Vyas — additional charge of Deputy Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, Zoo, Jaipur
Dedicated IFS Officer for Village Relocation
Jagish Prasad Deya has been appointed DFO, Village Relocation, Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR).
The posting gives dedicated IFS-level leadership to the village relocation work associated with wildlife conservation in the tiger reserve.
Six Trainee IFS Officers Posted
The government has also issued postings for six trainee IFS officers, assigning them to different forest divisions as Assistant Conservators of Forests.
Their deployment is expected to add field-level administrative capacity while providing practical experience in forest and wildlife management.
Reshuffle Covers Forest, Wildlife and Technology
The latest administrative exercise covers a wide range of specialised areas, including wildlife management, tiger reserves, ecotourism, biodiversity, CAMPA, forest development, village relocation, IT and e-governance, and environmental administration.
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With 69 IFS officers transferred, 22 RFS-to-IFS promotees receiving postings and 14 officers given additional responsibilities, the reshuffle marks a significant restructuring of Rajasthan’s Forest Department and its specialised wings.