Days after the Lok Sabha election results, the Bihar government enacted a significant reshuffle by transferring as many as nine IAS officers on Thursday. Among the notable transfers is of KK Pathak, who held the position of Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) in the Education Department and was well-known for his controversial decisions. Pathak has now been appointed as the ACS of the Revenue and Land Reforms Department. Meanwhile, he will continue to hold additional charge of the Director General of the Bihar Institute of Public Administration & Rural Development (BIPARD).
It is worth noting that there has been considerable public dissatisfaction with many of Pathak's policies during his tenure in the Education Department. This administrative shake-up comes amid growing concerns and criticisms from the public regarding the effectiveness and impact of the education reforms initiated under Pathak’s leadership. Pathak, a 1990-batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre, is currently on leave, and upon resuming duty, will take charge of the revenue and land reforms department.
Dr S Siddharth to replace KK Pathak
Dr S Siddharth has been appointed as the new Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department, succeeding KK Pathak. This change is part of a broader administrative overhaul in Bihar, as the General Administration Department has issued a transfer list of approximately a dozen other IAS officers. Dr Siddharth’s appointment is seen as a strategic move aimed at bringing fresh perspectives and improvements to the Education Department, following widespread dissatisfaction with Pathak’s tenure. Pathak had been in the news for controversial orders issued by the education department pertaining to school timings, holidays in government-run schools and freezing of the accounts of several state-run universities.
List of IAS officers who got transferred:
Deepak Kumar Singh: He was the Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue and Land Reforms Department. Now, he has been appointed as the Additional Chief Secretary of the Rural Affairs Department.
Arvind Kumar Chaudhary: Previously the Principal Secretary of the Finance Department, he has been made the Principal Secretary of the Home Department and will continue to oversee the Surveillance Department until further notice.
Pankaj Kumar Pal: Transferred to the position of Secretary of the Rural Development Department and will also be responsible for BIADA.
Lokesh Kumar Singh: He has been assigned full responsibility for the Finance Department.
Rajkumar: He was the Director of the Social Welfare Department, now appointed as the District Magistrate (DM) of Bhojpur.
Ashutosh Kumar Verma: He will now serve as the District Magistrate of Nawada.
Mahendra Kumar: Previously served the DM of Bhojpur, he has been appointed as the Managing Director of South Bihar Power Distribution Company.
Prashant Kumar: He has been appointed as the Director of the Social Welfare Department. He was the DM of Nawada.
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