Punjab Government Transfers 4 IAS Officers; Sakshi Sawhney and Varun Roojam Get Additional Charges
The Punjab government has carried out a fresh administrative reshuffle involving four IAS officers, bringing changes across key departments including Transport, Sports & Youth Services, Health & Family Welfare, municipal administration and General Administration.
The orders issued on Tuesday evening have given additional responsibilities to senior officers Varun Roojam (IAS: 2004: PB) and Sakshi Sawhney (IAS: 2014: PB). Meanwhile, Sandeep Rishi (IAS: 2015: PB) has been given additional charge of the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation, while Nikas Kumar (IAS: 2020: PB) has been shifted from Jalandhar Municipal Corporation to the General Administration & Coordination Department.
The latest changes bring fresh administrative responsibilities for all four officers and also result in a change of leadership at the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation.
Varun Roojam Gets Additional Charge of Sports & Youth Services
Senior IAS officer Varun Roojam (IAS: 2004: PB), who is currently serving as Administrative Secretary, Transport, has been given the additional responsibility of Administrative Secretary, Sports & Youth Services.
Roojam will continue to look after the Transport Department along with the newly assigned Sports & Youth Services portfolio. The additional charge places the administration of another important department under the supervision of the senior 2004-batch IAS officer.
The Sports & Youth Services Department handles various government initiatives related to sports development, promotion of sporting talent and youth-oriented programmes across Punjab. Roojam’s additional responsibility comes at a time when the state continues to focus on strengthening sports infrastructure and encouraging young athletes. With this arrangement, Roojam will simultaneously oversee his existing Transport responsibilities and the additional Sports & Youth Services portfolio.
Sakshi Sawhney Gets Additional Charge of Director, Sports & Youth Services
Sakshi Sawhney (IAS: 2014: PB) has also been assigned an additional responsibility in the latest reshuffle. Sawhney is currently serving as Special Secretary, Health & Family Welfare. She is also holding the responsibility of Mission Director, National Health Mission, Punjab, as well as Nodal Officer for the Anti-Drug Campaign.
Under the latest order, she has now been given the additional charge of Director, Sports & Youth Services.The new assignment means Sawhney will continue with her existing health-related responsibilities while also overseeing the Sports & Youth Services Directorate.
Her multiple assignments place her in charge of responsibilities spanning public health, the National Health Mission, the state’s anti-drug campaign and sports administration.
Interestingly, the latest arrangement gives additional administrative oversight to the Sports & Youth Services Department at both the senior secretary and director levels. Varun Roojam will handle the department as Administrative Secretary, while Sawhney will take charge as Director.
Sandeep Rishi Gets Additional Charge of Jalandhar Municipal Corporation
Another important change involves Sandeep Rishi (IAS: 2015: PB), who will now take on additional responsibility for the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar. Rishi is currently serving as Chief Administrator, Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), SAS Nagar. He will continue in that position while also functioning as Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar.
The additional assignment gives Rishi responsibility for both a major urban development authority and the civic administration of Jalandhar. His new role will involve overseeing municipal functions in the city while continuing his existing responsibilities at GMADA.
The change also follows the transfer of Nikas Kumar, who was previously serving as Commissioner of the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation. With Rishi taking additional charge, the Punjab government has ensured continuity in the functioning of the Jalandhar civic body without requiring an immediate separate posting of another IAS officer.
Nikas Kumar Shifted to General Administration Department
Nikas Kumar (IAS: 2020: PB) has been moved out of the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation and transferred to the General Administration & Coordination Department.
Kumar has been appointed as Additional Secretary, General Administration & Coordination. The transfer means he will relinquish his current responsibility as Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar. His move creates the vacancy that has now been filled through the additional charge given to Sandeep Rishi.
Kumar, a 2020-batch Punjab cadre IAS officer, had been handling the municipal administration of Jalandhar. His new assignment in the General Administration Department will bring him into a different area of the state government’s administrative machinery.
The General Administration & Coordination Department plays an important role in coordinating administrative matters across the state government and dealing with a range of issues concerning the functioning and deployment of the state’s administrative apparatus.
Four Officers, Multiple Administrative Changes
The latest reshuffle involves four IAS officers but affects several important areas of Punjab’s administration. Two officers have received additional responsibilities, one has taken charge of another municipal corporation alongside his existing assignment, and one officer has been shifted to a new department.
The changes also create a new arrangement in the Sports & Youth Services Department. Varun Roojam will handle the department at the Administrative Secretary level, while Sakshi Sawhney has been given the additional charge of Director.
At the municipal level, Sandeep Rishi will now look after the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation in addition to his existing GMADA responsibilities. Nikas Kumar, meanwhile, will move to the General Administration & Coordination Department as Additional Secretary.
The latest Punjab government reshuffle reflects a combination of additional-charge arrangements and a fresh departmental posting. While the senior officers will retain several of their existing responsibilities, the changes are expected to bring a new administrative structure to sports administration and the civic administration of Jalandhar.
For Jalandhar in particular, the move means Sandeep Rishi will now take charge of the Municipal Corporation after Nikas Kumar moves to the General Administration Department. At the same time, the Sports & Youth Services Department gets additional oversight from two experienced IAS officers, Varun Roojam and Sakshi Sawhney.
