Chhattisgarh transfers 42 IAS officers in major reshuffle under CM Sai
Synopsis
The Chhattisgarh government reshuffled 42 IAS officers in a single order on 6 May 2025 — one of the most sweeping administrative reorganisations the state has seen in years. From principal secretaries to district collectors, virtually every tier of the bureaucracy has been realigned under Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai's governance agenda.
Key Takeaways
The Chhattisgarh government transferred 42 IAS officers on 6 May 2025 in one of its largest-ever administrative reshuffles.
Richa Sharma appointed Additional Chief Secretary, Panchayat and Rural Development ; Manoj Kumar Pingua to Forest and Climate Change .
Several district collectors replaced, including new postings in Korea , Surajpur , Balrampur-Ramanujganj , and Bijapur .
Mohammad Kaiser Abdulhaque given additional charge as Mission Director, Jal Jeevan Mission .
The reshuffle spans key departments including Finance , Home , Health , Energy , Tribal Development , and Urban Administration .
Officials say the move is aimed at improving public service delivery and aligning bureaucratic capacity with the BJP government's governance priorities.
The Chhattisgarh government on Wednesday, 6 May 2025, carried out one of its most extensive administrative reshuffles in recent years, transferring 42 senior IAS officers — including principal secretaries and district collectors — across departments and districts. The reshuffle, executed under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, is aimed at strengthening governance and improving the delivery of public services statewide.
Key Appointments at the Secretariat Level
Richa Sharma has been appointed Additional Chief Secretary, Panchayat and Rural Development, while Manoj Kumar Pingua will now serve as Additional Chief Secretary, Forest and Climate Change. Subodh Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, has been given additional charge of the Energy Department.
Niharika Barik has been shifted to the Home and Jails Department, and Shahla Nigar has been appointed Principal Secretary, Women and Child Development. Rohit Yadav takes over as Secretary, Finance, while Kamalpreet Singh has been posted to the School Education Department.
Reena Baba Saheb Kangale will head the Commercial Taxes (Excise) Department, and Avinash Champawat has been given additional charge of Higher Education. Mukesh Kumar Bansal has been assigned finance-related responsibilities alongside the Public Works Department, while R. Sangeetha has been posted to Urban Administration and Development.
Pardeshi Siddharth Komal has been appointed Agriculture Production Commissioner, and Bhuvnesh Yadav has been shifted to the Planning, Economics and Statistics Department. S. Bharathidasan will now head Tourism, Culture and Endowments, while Shammi Abidi has been appointed Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management.
Mohammad Kaiser Abdulhaque will continue as Secretary, Public Health Engineering, with the additional charge of Mission Director, Jal Jeevan Mission. Basavaraju S. has been posted to Skill Development, Technical Education and Employment, and Ankit Anand continues as Secretary, Housing and Environment after being relieved of the Commercial Taxes (Registration) portfolio.
District Collectors Reshuffled
Several district-level postings have also been revised. Pushpa Sahu has been appointed Collector of Korea district, while Santosh Kumar Dewangan takes charge as Collector of Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi. Chandan Sanjay Tripathi has been posted as Collector of Balrampur-Ramanujganj, and Santan Devi Jangde as Collector of Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur.
Padmini Bhoi Sahu has taken charge as Collector of Sarangarh-Bilaigarh, Rena Jamil has been appointed Collector of Surajpur, and Vishwadip has been transferred to Bijapur.
Other Notable Postings
Rajesh Singh Rana has been appointed Secretary, Village Industries, and Mahadev Kavre has been made Commissioner of Cooperation and Registrar of Cooperative Societies. Shyam Lal Dhavade has taken charge as Commissioner of Raipur Division, and Saransh Mittar has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of CREDA.
Padum Singh Elma has been posted as Commissioner of Excise, while Sanjeev Kumar Jha will additionally serve as Managing Director of the National Health Mission. D. Rahul Venkat has been made Commissioner of Tribal and Scheduled Caste Development, and Roktima Yadav has been appointed Commissioner of Higher Education.
Sambit Mishra has been posted as Commissioner of Raipur Municipal Corporation, S. Jayavardhan as Director, Treasury and Accounts, and Prabhat Malik as Joint Secretary to the Chief Minister. Rita Yadav has been made Secretary of the Board of Secondary Education, while Rishabh Kumar Parashar has been given additional responsibilities as Director of Budget and Director of Local Fund Audit.
Significance of the Reshuffle
Officials described the exercise as a deliberate effort to align administrative capacity with governance priorities, particularly in rural development, health, and tribal welfare. This comes amid the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's push to consolidate its administrative grip following its return to power in the state. Notably, the scale — 42 officers across departments and districts in a single order — makes this one of the most comprehensive reorganisations the state has seen in recent years. The government is expected to issue further orders for remaining vacancies in the coming weeks.
Point of View
Divisional, and district levels in one go — suggests the Sai government is moving past its settling-in phase and asserting firmer control over delivery machinery. The concentration of new postings in tribal districts and welfare departments is worth watching; these are also the constituencies where the BJP is most vulnerable to opposition pressure. Whether the reshuffle translates into measurable governance improvement, or remains a structural shuffle on paper, will depend on what performance accountability framework, if any, accompanies the transfers.
NationPress
11 May 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many officers were transferred in the Chhattisgarh reshuffle on 6 May 2025?
The Chhattisgarh government transferred 42 senior IAS officers in a single official order on 6 May 2025, covering principal secretaries, secretaries, commissioners, and district collectors across the state.
Who are the key officers appointed in the Chhattisgarh reshuffle?
Key appointments include Richa Sharma as Additional Chief Secretary (Panchayat and Rural Development), Manoj Kumar Pingua as Additional Chief Secretary (Forest and Climate Change), Rohit Yadav as Secretary (Finance), and Shyam Lal Dhavade as Commissioner of Raipur Division, among others.
Which district collectors were changed in the Chhattisgarh reshuffle?
New collectors have been appointed for Korea (Pushpa Sahu), Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi (Santosh Kumar Dewangan), Balrampur-Ramanujganj (Chandan Sanjay Tripathi), Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (Santan Devi Jangde), Sarangarh-Bilaigarh (Padmini Bhoi Sahu), and Surajpur (Rena Jamil).
Why did the Chhattisgarh government carry out this reshuffle?
Officials stated the reshuffle is aimed at streamlining administrative responsibilities and improving delivery of public services across departments and districts. It is seen as part of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai's effort to strengthen governance across the state.
Is this the largest administrative reshuffle in Chhattisgarh's recent history?
Officials and reports describe it as one of the most extensive administrative reorganisations in the state in recent years, given that 42 officers across multiple tiers of the bureaucracy were reassigned in a single order.
