Delhi Health Secretary Rupesh Kumar Thakur has been divested of his charge, with senior officer Prashant Goyal given additional charge of the department, amid an ongoing Anti-Corruption Branch probe into an alleged Rs 700-crore medicine and medical equipment procurement scam, officials said.
The bureaucratic reshuffle follows questions over the procurement of medicines, consumables and medical equipment for government hospitals. Thakur has also been issued a show-cause notice over the alleged failure to submit an action plan on pending procurement despite repeated directions, according to the report.
The Anti-Corruption Branch is investigating allegations connected to the supply of medical materials to six government hospitals in Delhi. The case relates to a 2024 FIR naming 13 companies accused of supplying “substandard” materials. The allegations are under investigation and have not been established by a final finding cited in the supplied report.
In August, Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh sought an explanation from Thakur over a fresh complaint alleging that some of the companies named in the FIR continued to be involved in the procurement and supply of surgical items to government-run hospitals. The report did not provide details of the fresh complaint, the specific materials allegedly supplied or any response from the companies named in the FIR.
Goyal, a 1993-batch officer, will hold additional charge of the Health Department while continuing in his revised administrative responsibilities. He has been divested of his charge as Additional Chief Secretary of Food and Civil Supplies. Navin Kumar Chaudhary, a 1994-batch officer serving as Additional Chief Secretary of Irrigation and Flood Control, with additional charge of the General Administration Department, has been given additional charge of Food and Civil Supplies. Chaudhary will continue to serve in both the General Administration and Irrigation and Flood Control departments.
The changes form part of a wider reshuffle ahead of the expected rollout of Delhi’s new excise policy this month. Awanish Kumar, a 2014-batch officer serving as Director of Training and Technical Education and Higher Education, has been appointed Commissioner of Excise. The previous commissioner, Ravi Jha, was transferred to Arunachal Pradesh last month.
Bipul Pathak, a 1992-batch officer, will continue as Additional Chief Secretary for Social Welfare, SC/ST/OBC, and Women and Child Development, and has also been given additional charge as Financial Commissioner. Niharika Rai, Secretary-cum-Commissioner of Transport, has been relieved of her additional charge as Secretary of Tourism and appointed additionally as Chairman and Managing Director of the Delhi Transport Corporation.
The Health Department’s immediate administrative task will include addressing pending procurement of medicines, consumables and medical equipment while the ACB inquiry and departmental proceedings continue. The supplied report did not specify a timeline for the action plan sought from the department or any further procedural steps in the investigation.
