Kerala Government Transfers 36 IAS Officers in Major Reshuffle: Anju KS Named Thiruvananthapuram Collector, New Faces Take Charge in Key Departments
The Kerala government has ordered a major administrative reshuffle involving 36 IAS officers, bringing significant changes to the state’s district administration as well as several important departments, missions, corporations and government agencies. The latest orders affect officers working in health, education, industries, information technology, revenue, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, social welfare and other key areas of governance.
The late-night orders have also resulted in several changes at the district level, with new Collectors being appointed in Thiruvananthapuram, Wayanad and Kasaragod. A number of senior officers have been given additional responsibilities, while some have been shifted from one major department to another. The exercise also includes fresh assignments for officers who were awaiting postings and adjustments to existing additional charges.
Sriram V Shifted to Forest and Wildlife Department
Among the prominent changes, 2013-batch IAS officer Sriram V has been moved out of the Agriculture Development and Farmers Welfare Department. He has been transferred and posted as Joint Secretary and Officer on Special Duty in the Forest and Wildlife Department.
Sriram V will also hold the full additional charge of Joint Secretary and Officer on Special Duty in the Skill and Cashew Development Department. Despite the new responsibilities, he will continue to serve as Managing Director of the Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence, giving him a wide portfolio covering forest administration, skill development and institutional responsibilities.
Renu Raj Gets Wider Health Sector Role
The health sector has also seen an important redistribution of responsibilities. Renu Raj, a 2015-batch IAS officer and Additional Secretary in the Health and Family Welfare Department, has been entrusted with several major additional assignments.
She will now hold the full additional charge of State Mission Director, National Health Mission, Project Director, e-Health, and Managing Director of the State Health Agency. With these responsibilities, Raj will have a significant role in both public health programmes and technology-driven healthcare initiatives across Kerala.
She has, however, been relieved of her responsibilities as Managing Director of the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd and Managing Director of the Kerala Health Research and Welfare Society.
Changes in Cultural Affairs, Disaster Management and KSTP
The reshuffle has also altered the leadership structure of several specialised departments. Inbasekar K, a 2015-batch IAS officer serving as Director of the Cultural Affairs Department, has been transferred and posted as Director of State Lotteries. He will continue to hold the full additional charge of Director, Cultural Affairs.
V. Vigneshwari, another 2015-batch officer and Director of the Women and Child Development Department, has been given the full additional charge of Commissioner, Disaster Management. She will continue with her existing responsibilities while taking on the additional role.
Vinod V R, Additional Secretary in the Public Works Department, has also been assigned another important responsibility. He will hold the full additional charge of Project Director of the Kerala State Transport Project, or KSTP, alongside his existing additional charge.
Industries and General Education Get New Directors
Two important departments have seen a notable exchange of responsibilities. Arun K Vijayan, a 2016-batch IAS officer serving as Director of Industries, has been transferred and posted as Director of General Education.
He will also hold the full additional charge of Chief Executive Officer of the Education Rejuvenation Mission. The assignment puts him in charge of an area directly linked to Kerala’s school education system and ongoing efforts to strengthen educational infrastructure and administration.
Snehil Kumar Singh, also a 2016-batch IAS officer, has moved in the opposite direction. From Director of General Education, he has been transferred and posted as Director of the Industries and Commerce Department.
Singh will additionally hold the full charge of Managing Director of the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation and Managing Director of Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited. His new portfolio therefore brings together industrial development, investment-related responsibilities and state IT infrastructure.
Major Changes at District Level
District administration is one of the biggest areas affected by the reshuffle. Priyanka G, a 2017-batch IAS officer and District Collector of Ernakulam, will continue in her present position while taking on the full additional charge of Chief Executive Officer of the Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority.
Anju K S, also from the 2017 batch, has been transferred from her position as Director of State Lotteries and appointed District Collector of Thiruvananthapuram. She will also hold the full additional charge of Chairperson of the Monitoring Committee constituted to address rehabilitation issues associated with the Vizhinjam Port Project.
Arjun Pandian, District Collector of Kasaragod, has been transferred and posted as Director of Agriculture Development and Farmers Welfare. His new responsibilities also include the full additional charges of Additional Project Director, KERA; Registrar, Co-operative Societies; and Director, Co-operative Audit.
Anu Kumari, the 2018-batch IAS officer serving as District Collector of Thiruvananthapuram, has been transferred and posted as Special Commissioner, GST. Meanwhile, Sikha Surendran, District Collector of Thrissur, will take on the full additional charge of Director General of the Kerala Institute of Local Administration.
Wayanad and Kasaragod Receive New Collectors
The reshuffle has brought new leadership to Wayanad and Kasaragod as well. Chelsasini V, a 2019-batch IAS officer serving as Director of Fisheries, has been transferred and appointed District Collector of Wayanad.
Sreedhanya Suresh, another 2019-batch officer who was serving as Commissioner of Food Safety, has been transferred and posted as District Collector of Kasaragod. The two appointments also trigger corresponding changes in the Fisheries and Food Safety departments.
Local Government, Tribal Development and Civil Supplies Also Affected
D. Dharmalashri, a 2019-batch IAS officer and Joint Secretary in the Local Self Government Department, will now hold the full additional charge of Executive Director of Suchitwa Mission, besides her existing additional responsibilities.
Binu Francis, Joint Managing Director of the Kerala Water Authority, has been transferred and posted as Director of the Scheduled Tribes Development Department. He has been relieved of all his existing additional charges.
Harikumar K, Director of Mining and Geology, has been transferred and appointed Commissioner of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs. He will also hold the full additional charge of Director of Coir Development Department.
Arun S Nair, Director of Social Justice, has been given the full additional charge of Executive Director of the Kerala Social Security Mission and Director of Elderly Welfare. He has been relieved of his responsibilities as Chief Executive Officer of Cochin Smart Mission Ltd and Chief Executive Officer of Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority.
IT, Labour and Revenue Departments See Key Reassignments
The reshuffle has also brought important changes to the IT and revenue administration. Safna Nazarudeen, Labour Commissioner, will now hold the full charge of Director of Employment and Training. She has been relieved of her responsibility as Joint Commissioner, Land Revenue.
Sachin Kumar Yadav, a 2020-batch IAS officer serving as Deputy Secretary in the Finance Department, has been transferred and posted as Director of Kerala State IT Mission. His additional responsibilities will include Director of the Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre, Chief Executive Officer of Technopark and Managing Director of Kerala Fibre Optic Network Limited.
He has been relieved of all his previous charges.
Sandip Kumar, who was serving as Director of Kerala State IT Mission, has been transferred and posted as Deputy Secretary in the Finance Department. He will also hold the full additional charges of Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Rebuild Kerala Initiative and Officer on Special Duty in the General Administration (AIS) Department.
Mohammed Shafiq, Additional Commissioner in the Kerala State Goods and Services Tax Department, has been transferred and posted as Officer on Special Duty and Joint Secretary in the Revenue Department. He will also hold the full additional charge of Director of the Programme Implementation, Evaluation and Monitoring Department.
Another Important Change in Health Administration
The latest orders have brought another significant change in Kerala’s health administration. Anu S Nair, a 2020-batch IAS officer serving as State Mission Director of the National Health Mission, has been transferred and posted as Commissioner of Food Safety.
She will also hold the full additional charge of Managing Director of the Kerala State Medical Services Corporation Limited and Managing Director of the Kerala Health Research and Welfare Society. Her new responsibilities will therefore span food safety as well as major institutions involved in the procurement, supply and health welfare ecosystem.
The scale of the reshuffle underlines the Kerala government’s effort to realign administrative responsibilities across departments and districts. With several officers moving into field assignments while others take charge of specialised departments and state-level institutions, the changes are expected to have a direct impact on the functioning of key areas of governance in the coming months.
