Amid rising tensions along the Indo-Pak border, particularly in the Jammu and Kashmir region, the UT administration has appointed 12 senior officers—including 9 from the IAS, 1 from the IFS, and 2 from the JKAS—as District Mentors to enhance administrative readiness and inter-agency coordination.
These appointments are part of a proactive move to reinforce governance and ensure effective response mechanisms in sensitive districts. The District Mentors will guide local administration, review developmental and security issues, and facilitate streamlined communication between the UT government and ground-level officials.
Deployment Highlights
The following senior bureaucrats have been assigned as mentors to key districts:
Shantmanu (IAS:1991) – Mentor for Srinagar, currently Financial Commissioner, Higher Education Department.
H Rajesh Prasad (IAS:1995) – Appointed to Budgam, serves as Principal Secretary, Power Development Department.
Santosh Dattatraya Vaidya (IAS:1998) – Deployed to Pulwama, Principal Secretary, Finance Department.
Brij Mohan Sharma (IFS:1995) – Tasked with Ramban, Principal Secretary, Department of Culture.
Saurabh Bhagat (IAS:2002) – Assigned to Ganderbal.
Sheetal Nanda (IAS:2006) – Appointed to Udhampur.
Neeraj Kumar (IAS) – Mentor for Kulgam.
Prasanna Ramaswamy G (IAS:2010) – Assigned to Shopian.
Talat Parvez Rohella (IAS:2010) – Deployed to Doda.
Mohammad Aijaz (IAS:2012) – Appointed to Kishtwar.
JKAS Officers Included
Two senior officers from the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) have also been appointed:
Zubair Ahmad – Mentoring Anantnag, currently Commissioner/Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs.
Babila Rakwal – Assigned to Reasi, Commissioner/Secretary, Cooperative Department.
Strategic Objective
This administrative reshuffle reflects the UT Government’s strategy to ensure high-level oversight, rapid decision-making, and integrated development amid a volatile security climate. With increasing concerns along the Line of Control, these appointments aim to bolster resilience, improve civilian support systems, and enhance governance in strategically vital districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
