By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 14 May: The Uttarakhand government has once again reshuffled the responsibilities of IAS officers, continuing its administrative restructuring. It may be recalled that a major bureaucratic reshuffle was carried out on 10 May, involving 25 IAS and 13 PCS officers. Now, four more IAS officers have been reshuffled today with significant shifts in key departments.
Nikita Khandelwal has been relieved from the post of Director, Information Technology Digital Agency (ITDA), and Gaurav Kumar, currently Director, Urban Development Department, has been given additional charge as ITDA Director. Sources claim that Gaurav Kumar is among a few young officers who enjoy the trust of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Besides this, the roles of two other IAS officers have also been altered.
Sources remind that the ITDA plays a crucial role in developing and securing the digital infrastructure of government departments. Amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions, there are increased concerns about cyberattacks, with reports of security breaches in various parts of the country. In this backdrop, the change in ITDA leadership has become significant, the sources claimed.
Last month, a major glitch in the IT server of the state government disrupted multiple departments, causing their websites to go offline. The effects of this cyberattack still linger, impacting IT operations in the state.
Senior IAS officer Harichandra Semwal, already heading the Excise Department as the Departmental Secretary, has been entrusted with additional responsibility of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs. He replaces Principal Secretary L Fanai as the Secretary, Food & Civil Supplies. Interestingly, the additional charge of Food & Civil Supplies to Semwal comes at a time when there is only a month for him to retire. With this move directed by the CM, the already ongoing speculation over an extension to Semwal post his retirement has only gained further ground. Sources remind that Semwal is another officer who is in the good books of the CM despite making headlines off and on for various reasons. The last time he had hit the headlines was when he had overturned a few decisions of District Magistrate, Dehradun, Savin Bansal to close down certain liquor vends on public demand. Intervening directly in the decision, Semwal had overturned it using his power as Excise Commissioner, which was something that was liked by the Dehradun residents. Besides this he also overturned some other decisions of Bansal regarding allocation of liquor vends in Dehradun. As Semwal approaches retirement at the end of this month, discussions regarding a possible service extension have gained momentum within the government circles.
