West Bengal has transferred four IAS officers across key state departments in a reshuffle ordered by Nabanna, according to a directive reported by Sangbad Pratidin on Monday. The changes cover agriculture, animal resources, power, Sundarbans affairs, tribal development and administrative training responsibilities.
Onkar Singh Meena, who was serving as secretary of the agriculture department, has been appointed secretary of the animal resources development department. The transfer changes the senior administrative leadership overseeing one of the state’s major rural and livelihood-linked portfolios.
Mukta Arya has been appointed chairman and managing director of the West Bengal State Electricity Development Corporation Limited, or WBSEDCL. She was previously secretary of the Sundarbans affairs department. The power corporation is responsible for a significant part of the state’s electricity-generation and energy administration framework.
Shashank Shethi has been appointed secretary of the Sundarbans affairs department. He was earlier serving as additional director general of the Netaji Subhas Administrative Training Institute. His new assignment places him in charge of a department dealing with the administration and development concerns of the Sundarbans region.
Arvind Kumar Meena has been appointed secretary of the tribal development department. He was previously secretary of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises department. The transfer shifts his administrative responsibilities from an economic and enterprise-focused portfolio to a department focused on tribal development.
The directive also communicated instructions to the concerned officers regarding the assumption of their new responsibilities. The reported changes come before the Puja season and follow several administrative reshuffles in West Bengal during the first five months of the new government, according to the source.
The reshuffle affects departments with direct links to rural livelihoods, electricity administration, regional development and welfare delivery. However, the directive as reported does not provide reasons for the individual transfers, details of the officers’ tenure, or any changes to departmental policies or programmes.
The changes also form part of a broader administrative transition following the change of government in West Bengal. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has said that the administration must accelerate government work and focus on the state’s development, the report said. The immediate next step is for the four officers to take charge of their assigned departments as directed by Nabanna.
