Over the past few days, the Haryana government has kicked off its preparations ahead of next year elections. As a result, the bureaucracy in the state is undergoing a reshuffle of its
officers. The changes will also have effects on the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). IAS officer Ashima Brar and her husband Mandeep Singh might be new additions to the CMO. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is reportedly also in favour of this change. Further, 1991 batch IAS Anil Malik has been approved for deputation at the Centre. The blueprint for these changes has been prepared by Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Rajesh Khullar, keeping in mind the Lok Sabha elections slated for 2024. With the implementation of these new changes, the Chief Minister’s Office has also banned officers from going on foreign tours. Five IAS officers from Haryana had applied to go abroad, but Chief Principal Secretary to CM Rajesh Khullar has stayed their applications. Four officers who had applied
to go abroad at their own expense. A major administrative reshuffle was expected after Khullar’s appointment to the CMO; so far only administrative secretaries have been transferred. Major changes are yet to take place. Since Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are to be held in the next year, the officers deployed in the field will now be on duty until the elections. It is expected that the list of changes in the Haryana bureaucracy may be released by the end of this month. The names of DCs of many districts will also be included in this list. Even Chief Minister Khattar is now in election mode and has been interacting with residents and speaking to officers. The rest of his cabinet is also active in the field. Khattar has given strict directions to officers for the completion of their work. Tough decisions are also being taken on the spot. In public dialogue programmes, the CM has been listening to residents’ grievances regarding facilities. Amit Arya, media advisor to CM Manohar Lal Khattar, also resigned from his post recently. Arya’s resignation was accepted, leaving the post vacant.
