Gandhinagar, March 27 (IANS) The Gujarat government has appointed 21 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers as in-charge secretaries for various districts, as part of a wider administrative exercise aimed at strengthening district-level governance.
In its order issued on Friday, the department said the appointments were made after taking into account vacancies arising from recent promotions, transfers and retirements, with the aim of ensuring that no district administration remains without oversight.
Senior officers from different departments have been assigned charge of districts to facilitate quicker decision-making and smoother implementation of government policies.
Among the key postings, M. Thennarasan has been assigned charge of Ahmedabad, Shalini Agarwal of Surat, P. Swaroop of Vadodara, Vinod Rao of Gandhinagar, Raj Kumar Beniwal of Kutch, Aarti Kanwar of Jamnagar, Ranjith Kumar J. of Mehsana and P. Bharathi of Vav-Tharad.
Other appointments include Avantika Singh Aulakh for Anand, Pravina D.K. for Banaskantha, Sandhya Bhullar for Bharuch and Rajender Kumar for Morbi.
According to the order, the in-charge secretaries will oversee administrative functioning and monitor development works in their respective districts, with a specific focus on developing talukas.
The move was intended “to ensure that administrative functioning remains uninterrupted and that decisions at the district level are taken promptly.”
The appointments would “help strengthen coordination between departments and improve implementation of government schemes on the ground.”
Earlier this week, the state government transferred IAS officers at the district level, appointing new collectors in three districts.
P. B. Pandya has been posted as Collector of Jamnagar, G. H. Solanki as Collector of Surendranagar, and Ravindra Khatale as Collector of Gandhinagar.
Officials said these changes were part of routine administrative adjustments to maintain continuity in district administration.
The reshuffle comes as the state prepares for local body elections expected next month, which will cover municipal corporations, municipalities and panchayats across the state.
--IANS
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