Ladakh Administrative Reshuffle: IAS Arava Gopi Krishna Gets Youth Services and Sports, IFS Mandeep Mittal Gets Agriculture
The Ladakh Administration has reassigned additional departmental responsibilities to IAS officer Arava Gopi Krishna and Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Mandeep Mittal under an administrative order issued on October 8, 2026. The changes have been made in the interest of administration and will take effect immediately, remaining in force until further orders.
Under Order No. 441-LA(GAD) of 2026, Gopi Krishna, a 2012-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, has been assigned the additional charge of Administrative Secretary, Youth Services and Sports Department, Union Territory of Ladakh. With this arrangement, IAS officer Bhanu Prabha has been relieved of the responsibility.
In a separate assignment, Mandeep Mittal, a 2016-batch IFS officer of the AGMUT cadre who is currently serving as Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Leh, has been given the additional charge of Special Secretary, Agriculture and Horticulture Department, Ladakh. Mittal will continue to discharge his existing responsibilities as DFO, Leh, alongside the newly assigned portfolio.
IAS Arava Gopi Krishna Gets Additional Charge of Youth Services and Sports
Arava Gopi Krishna belongs to the 2012 batch of the Indian Administrative Service and is part of the AGMUT cadre, which covers Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories. Under the latest administrative order, he has been entrusted with the additional responsibility of Administrative Secretary, Youth Services and Sports Department in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
The assignment adds the Youth Services and Sports Department to his existing administrative responsibilities. As Administrative Secretary, he will hold a senior position in the department’s administrative structure, which deals with matters relating to youth services and sports within Ladakh.
The same order relieves IAS officer Bhanu Prabha of the responsibility previously assigned to her. The order specifically records the change in the allocation of the additional charge, but the available information does not indicate any other change in her posting or administrative responsibilities.
The reassignment forms part of the Ladakh Administration’s latest allocation of departmental responsibilities. No separate policy announcement or change in the functioning of the Youth Services and Sports Department has been specified in the order.
IFS Mandeep Mittal Assigned Agriculture and Horticulture Department
Mandeep Mittal, a 2016-batch Indian Forest Service officer belonging to the AGMUT cadre, is currently posted as Divisional Forest Officer, Leh. The Ladakh Administration has now entrusted him with the additional charge of Special Secretary, Agriculture and Horticulture Department, Union Territory of Ladakh.
Unlike a transfer that replaces an officer in an existing position, this arrangement allows Mittal to retain his current forest department responsibilities while taking on an additional departmental assignment. He will continue to serve as DFO, Leh, alongside his new responsibility in agriculture and horticulture administration.
The allocation brings an additional portfolio under Mittal’s administrative charge, extending his responsibilities beyond his existing position in the forest department. However, the order does not specify any particular agricultural programme, horticultural initiative or policy change associated with the assignment.
Agriculture and horticulture are important areas of administration in Ladakh, where local environmental and climatic conditions influence cultivation practices. Nevertheless, the reported order concerns the allocation of administrative responsibility and does not announce any specific new scheme or operational measure for the two sectors.
Ladakh Administration Order Takes Immediate Effect
The General Administration Department (GAD) issued the order on October 8, 2026, under reference number 441-LA(GAD) of 2026. It states that the changes have been made in the interest of administration and will take effect immediately.
Both assignments will remain in force until further orders. The order covers two officers and two separate departmental arrangements, with Gopi Krishna taking over the additional charge of Administrative Secretary, Youth Services and Sports Department, and Mittal assuming the additional charge of Special Secretary, Agriculture and Horticulture Department.
The changes also clarify the status of the officers’ existing responsibilities. Bhanu Prabha has been relieved of the Youth Services and Sports portfolio, while Mittal will continue in his current position as DFO, Leh, in addition to the agriculture and horticulture assignment.
The administrative order does not specify any changes to the officers’ respective services, batches or cadres. It is limited to the reassignment of departmental responsibilities within the Ladakh Administration, with both arrangements continuing until further orders.
