Delhi Health Secretary Rupesh Kumar Thakur has been divested of his charge, with senior officer Prashant Goyal given additional responsibility for the department, officials said on Thursday. The administrative change comes as the Anti-Corruption Branch investigates an alleged Rs 700-crore procurement scam involving medicines and medical equipment supplied to government hospitals in the city.
The reshuffle follows concerns over procurement processes in Delhi’s public health system. In August, Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh sought an explanation from Thakur after a fresh complaint alleged that some of the 13 companies named in a 2024 First Information Report for supplying “substandard” materials to six government hospitals remained involved in the procurement and supply of surgical items to government-run hospitals.
Thakur was also issued a show-cause notice over the alleged failure to submit an action plan for pending procurement of medicines, consumables and medical equipment, despite repeated directions, according to the report. The supplied information does not indicate the outcome of the notice or establish the allegations as proven.
Goyal, a 1993-batch officer, will hold additional charge as Additional Chief Secretary of the Health Department. He has simultaneously 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 assigned the additional charge of Food and Civil Supplies.
Chaudhary will continue as Additional Chief Secretary of the General Administration Department, while retaining additional responsibility for Irrigation and Flood Control. Bipul Pathak, a 1992-batch officer, will continue as Additional Chief Secretary of the Social Welfare, SC/ST/OBC, and Women and Child Development departments and has also been given the additional charge of Financial Commissioner.
The reshuffle also changes the leadership of other departments. Awanish Kumar, a 2014-batch officer serving as Director of Training and Technical Education and Higher Education, has been appointed Commissioner of Excise ahead of the expected rollout of a new excise policy this month. The previous Excise Commissioner, Ravi Jha, was transferred to Arunachal Pradesh last month.
Niharika Rai, a 2005-batch officer serving as Secretary-cum-Commissioner of Transport, has been divested of her additional charge as Secretary of Tourism. She has also been given additional charge as Chairman and Managing Director of the Delhi Transport Corporation. The health department’s next administrative steps will take place while the Anti-Corruption Branch’s investigation into the alleged procurement irregularities continues.
