Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh government has transferred nine officials from the Indian Administrative Service and Indian Forest Service, an official said on Thursday.
This reshuffle comes as the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government faces increasing pressure from opposition parties and public sector employees, particularly over unfulfilled election promises and perceived lapses in governance.
The 2009-batch IAS officer, Manasi Sahay, formerly Director of Tourism and Civil Aviation, has been appointed as Labour Commissioner-cum-Director Employment.
Yunus, a 2010-batch IAS officer and Commissioner of State Tax and Excise, has been given additional responsibilities as Director of Industries, retaining his previous post.
Vivek Bhatia, Principal Private Secretary to the Chief Minister and Special Secretary, has now taken on additional roles as Director of Tourism and Civil Aviation and Director of Sports. The move reflects the government’s strategy to consolidate leadership in key departments, with Bhatia overseeing crucial portfolios that affect both revenue and public engagement.
Gopal Chand, the current Director of Urban Development, has been appointed CEO-cum-Managing Director of the Smart City Project in Shimla, while Rakesh Kumar Prajapati, previously Director of Industries, is now tasked with overseeing the Department of Energy.
Harikesh Meena moves from the post of Director Energy to become Managing Director of the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation.
Rupali Thakur, previously Director of the Women and Child Development, is now Director of the HP Institute of Public Administration.
Nivedita Negi, returning from leave, has been appointed Secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission. Additionally, IFS officer Neeraj Kumar, former Conservator of Forest in Rampur, will now head the Urban Development Department.
The strategic redistribution of key officials in Himachal Pradesh is seen as a move to improve administrative efficiency, especially in departments critical to revenue generation, such as excise, taxation, industries, and tourism.
With Yunus looking after both the taxation and industries departments, the government is likely focusing on boosting revenue, employment, and investment — areas where the opposition has accused it of under-performance.
