Madhya Pradesh Reshuffles IAS Ranks: Sukhveer Singh Named Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Rashmi Arun Shami Gets Revenue Board

The Madhya Pradesh government has reshuffled senior IAS officers, naming Sukhveer Singh, a 1997-batch officer, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and giving Additional Chief Secretary Rashmi Arun Shami, of the 1994 batch, additional charge as Chairman of the Revenue Board. The order also changes collectors in at least ten districts.

The two top postings carry different weight. The Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister works out of the office of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. The Revenue Board hears appeals in land and revenue disputes. Shami takes it as an additional charge, not as a stand-alone posting.

Shami's portfolio is already crowded. She looks after the Public Health and Medical Education Department, the Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department, Food and Civil Supplies, and the Madhyamik Shiksha Mandal. The Revenue Board chair now sits on top of that list. Singh, a 1997-batch officer, also holds the Principal Secretary post in the Public Works Department, an additional charge that comes with his new office.

Singh's path to the Chief Minister's office ran through the same department. At a July 25 reshuffle, which followed Ashok Barnwal's elevation as Chief Secretary, Singh was Principal Secretary, Public Works, and was handed additional responsibility for Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education. Health and medical education now appear in Shami's list of departments.

Below the top tier, the order moves a long list of officers. John Kingsley A.R. (2004) is Secretary, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Somesh Mishra (2013) is Director, AIDS Control Society, and Director, Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation, Bhopal. Raghavendra Singh (2013) is Managing Director, State Agricultural Marketing Board, and Commissioner, Mandi. Riju Bafna (2014) is Additional Commissioner (Revenue), Ujjain Division. Sanjay Kumar Jain (2015) is Deputy Secretary, Farmer Welfare and Agriculture Development, and Siddharth Jain and Kirti Lal Meena, both 2016, are Deputy Secretaries in Commercial Tax and Finance. Gaurav Bainal (2016) is Deputy Secretary, General Administration, and Director, Employees Selection Board.

The district changes are the widest part of the order. Rajesh Kumar Ogrey (2012) takes Mauganj. Pawan Kumar Jain (2013) goes to Bhind, Arun Kumar Vishwakarma (2014) to Jabalpur, Ashish Vashishtha (2014) to Narmadapuram, Ankit Asthana (2014) to Singrauli and Aditya Singh (2014) to Balaghat. Among the 2017 batch, Rohit Sisonia is Collector of Raisen, Vivek Kumar of Burhanpur, Dr Parikshit Sanjayrao Jhadey of Shajapur and Kumar Satyam of Harda. Sandeep Kereketta (2018) is Chief Executive Officer of the Indore Development Authority, with additional charge as Deputy Secretary to the state government.

Several senior officers get additional charges. K.C. Gupta (1992) is relieved of Cottage and Village Industries and takes Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection. Shobhit Jain (2000) takes Cottage and Village Industries. Sanket S. Bhondve (2007) becomes Residential Commissioner, Madhya Pradesh Bhawan, New Delhi. Swatantra Kumar Singh (2007) gets Industrial Policy and Investment Promotion, and Bharat Yadav (2008) gets Public Relations. Anupam Rajan (1993) is relieved of Public Relations. Neeraj Mandloi (1993), who was given charge of organising the Global Investors Summit 2027 in July, is relieved of the MSME department.

Three more postings complete the list. Abhay Arvind Bedekar (2014) is Commissioner-cum-Director, Archaeology and Museums, Bhopal. Anshuman Raj (2020) is Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh State Electronics Development Corporation, and Mission Director, Samagra Samajik Suraksha Mission. Madan Vibhishan Nagargoje (2007) is Commissioner, Handicrafts and Handloom, with additional responsibilities.