Punjab Government Transfers 3 IAS Officers: Sukhjeet Pal Singh Gets PAU Registrar Post, Abhijeet Kaplish Given Sports Charge
The Punjab government has carried out a minor but significant administrative reshuffle involving three IAS officers, bringing fresh changes to key positions at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), the Sports Department and the Punjab State Commission for Women. The orders, issued by the Department of Personnel with immediate effect, also alter the administrative responsibilities of officers working across several important sectors.
The latest changes mainly concern 2014, 2015 and 2018-batch IAS officers. Rishi Pal Singh has been relieved of his responsibilities as Registrar of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, while Sukhjeet Pal Singh has been appointed to the post. Meanwhile, Abhijeet Kaplish, who heads the Punjab Energy Development Agency, has been entrusted with the additional charge of Director, Sports.
Rishi Pal Singh Relieved as PAU Registrar
Rishi Pal Singh, a 2014-batch IAS officer, has been moved out of his assignment as Registrar of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. His tenure at the premier agricultural university now comes to an end with the latest government order.
Following the reshuffle, Singh’s services have been placed at the disposal of the Department of Social Security, Women and Child Development. He is expected to be posted as Member Secretary of the Punjab State Commission for Women, giving him a new administrative role in an institution dealing with issues concerning women’s rights, welfare and social development.
The new assignment marks a shift from university administration to the social security and women and child development sector. His movement is part of the government’s latest effort to realign responsibilities among senior officers.
Sukhjeet Pal Singh Appointed New PAU Registrar
The Punjab government has appointed Sukhjeet Pal Singh, a 2018-batch IAS officer, as the new Registrar of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. He will take over the important administrative position previously held by Rishi Pal Singh.
Before this appointment, Sukhjeet Pal Singh was serving as Additional Secretary in the Health and Family Welfare Department. He was also holding the position of Additional Additional Secretary in the Housing and Urban Development Department, giving him experience across two major areas of state administration.
Under the latest arrangement, his services have been placed at the disposal of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare for posting as Registrar of Punjab Agricultural University. His new role will put him at the centre of the administrative functioning of one of Punjab’s most important institutions for agricultural education, research and extension services.
PAU has a particularly significant role in a state where agriculture remains closely linked with the economy and rural livelihoods. The Registrar’s office handles a broad range of institutional and administrative matters, making the posting an important responsibility for the 2018-batch officer.
Abhijeet Kaplish Gets Additional Charge of Sports
Another notable change concerns Abhijeet Kaplish, a 2015-batch IAS officer who is serving as Chief Executive of the Punjab Energy Development Agency, or PEDA. The government has now entrusted him with the additional charge of Director, Sports.
Kaplish will continue to serve as Chief Executive of PEDA while simultaneously taking on responsibility for the Sports Department. The additional charge means that there is no change in his existing assignment at the energy agency, but his administrative portfolio has now been expanded.
The latest order also relieves Sakshi Sawhney of the additional charge of Director, Sports that she had been holding. Kaplish will therefore take over the additional responsibility with immediate effect while continuing to oversee PEDA.
The arrangement brings together two very different administrative areas under his portfolio. While PEDA is focused on energy development and related initiatives, the Sports Department deals with sports promotion, infrastructure, athletes and government programmes designed to strengthen sporting activities across Punjab.
Three IAS Officers, Three Key Administrative Changes
The latest reshuffle affects three IAS officers but touches several important areas of the Punjab government’s administrative structure. Each officer has either received a new posting or been given an expanded portfolio, with changes spanning agriculture, women’s welfare, energy and sports.
Rishi Pal Singh is moving from Punjab Agricultural University to the Department of Social Security, Women and Child Development, where his services have been placed for posting as Member Secretary of the Punjab State Commission for Women. His new assignment will take him into a different area of governance after his stint as PAU Registrar.
Sukhjeet Pal Singh, meanwhile, is moving out of his existing responsibilities in Health and Family Welfare and Housing and Urban Development. He has now been placed at the disposal of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department for appointment as Registrar of Punjab Agricultural University.
Abhijeet Kaplish will continue as Chief Executive of the Punjab Energy Development Agency, but his responsibilities will now extend to the Sports Department as well. He has been given the additional charge of Director, Sports, replacing the arrangement under which Sakshi Sawhney was holding the additional responsibility.
Immediate Effect of Punjab Government Orders
The latest administrative changes have been ordered with immediate effect, indicating that the concerned officers are expected to assume their revised responsibilities without delay. Such reshuffles are a routine part of state administration, allowing governments to redistribute experienced officers according to organisational requirements and emerging priorities.
For Punjab Agricultural University, the change brings Sukhjeet Pal Singh into the Registrar’s office at a time when agricultural education, research and institutional administration remain closely connected with the state’s broader farming and rural development priorities. His previous experience in health and urban development gives him exposure to sectors with very different administrative demands.
At the same time, Rishi Pal Singh’s proposed movement towards the Punjab State Commission for Women places an experienced IAS officer in the social security and women-focused administrative framework. The new assignment could involve coordination across government departments and institutions dealing with women’s welfare and related policy matters.
Kaplish’s additional responsibility in Sports is equally notable because he will retain his leadership role at PEDA while taking charge of another major public-facing department. The arrangement reflects the government’s practice of assigning additional responsibilities to serving officers where an immediate standalone posting is not made.
Taken together, the three changes represent a compact reshuffle with a fairly wide administrative footprint. From Punjab’s agricultural university and farmers’ welfare system to women’s welfare, energy development and sports administration, the latest orders have moved responsibilities among three IAS officers while keeping several existing departmental arrangements
