Lalit Mohan Rayal to Head Nainital; Widespread Transfers Across IAS, PCS, IFS, and Secretariat Cadres
In a major reshuffle ahead of Diwali, the Uttarakhand government has transferred 44 senior officials across multiple administrative services, including 23 IAS, 11 PCS, 1 IFS, and 3 Secretariat service officers. The large-scale changes, announced late Friday, mark one of the biggest bureaucratic reorganizations of the year, affecting district leadership, department portfolios, and state-level positions.
Five District Magistrates Reassigned
Key among the changes are five new District Magistrate appointments across major districts:
Lalit Mohan Rayal (IAS-2011) becomes DM, Nainital
Gaurav Kumar (IAS-2017) takes charge as DM, Chamoli
Anshul Singh (IAS-2018) appointed DM, Almora
Akanksha Konde (IAS-2018) to serve as DM, Bageshwar
Ashish Kumar Bhatgain (IAS-2017) now DM, Pithoragarh
The reshuffle signals a strategic refresh of leadership in the state’s key administrative hubs.
Changes Across Departments and Secretariats
According to official notifications, 23 IAS officers have been reassigned, along with 11 PCS officers and several officials from the Secretariat and Forest services.
Prominent changes include:
Dilip Jawalkar (IAS-2003) — Now Secretary, Finance, Elections & Water Resources; relieved from Rural Development and Rural Works.
BVRC Purushottam (IAS-2004) — Removed as Director, Fisheries.
Chandresh Kumar Yadav (IAS-2006) — Now Secretary, Women Empowerment & Child Development; relieved from Panchayati Raj and Food Commissioner roles.
Ranveer Singh Chauhan (IAS-2009) — Appointed Commissioner, Food; relieved from Agriculture & Horticulture.
Dheeraj Singh Garbyal (IAS-2009) — Takes over as Secretary, Rural Development & Rural Works.
Parag Madhukar Dhakate (IFS) — Becomes Special Secretary, Panchayati Raj.
Sonika (IAS-2010) — Appointed Vice-Chairperson, Haridwar-Roorkee Development Authority (HRDA).
Vandana Singh (IAS-2013) — Moved from DM Nainital to Additional Secretary, Planning and DG, Agriculture & Horticulture.
Vineet Kumar (IAS-2013) — Shifted from Forests to Labor Department as Additional Secretary.
Himanshu Khurana (IAS-2015) — Appointed Additional Secretary, Forests.
Alok Kumar Pandey (IAS-2016) — Moves from DM Almora to CEO, PMGSY, Additional Secretary, IT, and Director, ITDA.
Dr. Sandeep Tiwari (IAS-2017) — Transferred from DM Chamoli to Director, Social Welfare, Haldwani.
Ravneet Cheema (IAS-2017) — Now Additional Secretary, Reorganization Department.
Vinod Giri Goswami (IAS-2017) — From DM Pithoragarh to Additional Secretary, Urban Development and Director, Urban Development Directorate, Dehradun.
Prakash Chandra (IAS-2017) — Appointed Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities.
Deepti Singh (IAS-2017) — Relieved of additional charges including DG, School Education, and Director, Horticulture.
Secretariat Level Adjustments
Several new postings have also been announced at the Secretariat:
Mayawati Dhakriyal — Additional Secretary, Languages & Director, Language Institute.
Santosh Badoni — Director, Secretariat Training Institute.
Sunil Singh — Additional Secretary, Revenue & Secretariat Administration.
PCS Cadre Realignments
From the Provincial Civil Services (PCS) cadre:
Girdhari Singh Rawat — Additional Secretary, Personnel & Vigilance.
Chandra Singh Dharmashaktu — Director, Fisheries.
Lalit Narayan Mishra — Chief Development Officer (CDO), Haridwar.
Ashok Kumar Pandey — Secretary, Uttarakhand Public Service Commission.
Additionally, officers including Sundarlal Semwal, Chandra Singh Martolia, Jai Bharat Singh, Raza Abbas, Jaivardhan Sharma, Yukta Mishra, Krishna Nath Goswami, Naresh Chandra Durgapal, Richa Singh, Sonia Pant, Sohan Singh, Paritosh Verma, Chatar Singh, and Anil Kumar Chanyal have been allotted various field and divisional responsibilities in municipal, collectorate, and administrative roles.
Strategic Timing and Administrative Intent
The reshuffle, coming just before Diwali, appears to be a strategic move by the Pushkar Singh Dhami government aimed at energizing the administrative machinery ahead of key development and governance drives.
By refreshing leadership in five districts and reassigning senior officers in finance, agriculture, rural development, and urban management, the government is positioning itself to improve delivery, ensure political balance, and enhance coordination in the run-up to major projects and future policy rollouts.
The newly appointed district magistrates and secretariat officers will now play a central role in addressing the state’s developmental, environmental, and governance challenges, especially in areas of infrastructure, disaster management, and local administration.
