Nayab Saini replaces Manohar Lal Khattar’s teams

Chandigarh: In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has replaced the entire administrative team of his predecessor Manohar Lal Khattar.

The order in this regard was issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) late on Wednesday night.

IAS officer Arun Gupta of the 1992 batch, has been appointed as the principal secretary to the Chief Minister, replacing V. Umashankar.

Meanwhile, Umashankar is presently on deputation with the Centre as secretary, Road Transport and Highways.

Gupta was serving as an additional chief secretary in the Town and Country Planning, Urban Estate, and the Industries and Commerce departments.

With a previous stint as home secretary in the Chandigarh administration, he commands a rich administrative experience.

The new additional principal secretary to the Chief Minister is Saket Kumar (IAS 2005 batch). He has replaced Amit Aggarwal who was also a close aide of Khattar. Kumar holds an MD in paediatrics.

Prior to his appointment to the CMO, he served as managing director, Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam and director general of Medical Education and Research in the state. Besides this, he was secretary to the Haryana government for the Medical Education and Research department.

Kumar has also served as the commissioner of Food & Drug Administration, Haryana.

While Amit Aggarwal has been reassigned as the commissioner and secretary of the Development and Panchayats department, and the managing director of Haryana Power Transmission Corporation.

Another IAS who has served in the Khattar’s office for a long duration is Ashima Brar (2004 batch). She was the additional principal secretary to the Chief Minister and is presently been appointed as the director general of the SEWA (Social Justice, Empowerment, Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes and Antyodaya) department. Ashima Brar is the wife of Mandeep Singh Brar (2005 batch IAS) and is presently posted as home secretary in Chandigarh. He has also served during Khattar’s tenure.

A 2011 batch IAS officer, Yashpa has been appointed as the deputy principal secretary to the Chief Minister. He has earlier served as director of the Urban Local Bodies department.

Rajesh Khullar, a retired IAS officer is the lone officer who continues to serve as the chief principal secretary. A close aide of Khattar, he is the only administrative officer who has been retained. Earlier, the state government had appointed Khullar as the chief principal secretary in the CMO with a Cabinet rank on October 17. Soon the orders who kept on hold and another order was issued wherein Khullar was appointed without the rank of Cabinet minister.