Bhopal: In a major late-night bureaucratic reshuffle, the Mohan Yadav led Madhya Pradesh government transferred 11 IAS officers and four State Administrative Service (SAS) officers after 2 a.m. on Friday. The orders were issued by the General Administration Department, triggering significant changes across key departments including Health, Forest, Public Relations, Excise, Agriculture, and Energy.
The reshuffle is being viewed as part of administrative restructuring aligned with upcoming policy priorities, including the state’s declaration of 2026 as the “Year of Agriculture.”
Ashok Barnwal Assigned Health Portfolio
Additional Chief Secretary and 1991 batch senior IAS officer Ashok Barnwal has been removed from the Forest Department and assigned charge of the Public Health and Medical Education Department as well as the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Department.
He will retain his previous charge of the Environment Department and has also been given additional responsibility as Food Safety Commissioner.
In a corresponding move, Principal Secretary Sandeep Yadav has been relieved from the Health and Medical Education Department and appointed head of the Forest Department. He has also been given additional responsibility for the Overseas Indian Department.
Manish Singh Returns to Public Relations
2009-batch IAS officer Manish Singh has once again been given charge of the Public Relations Department. He will continue to hold the Transport and Jail departments. Additionally, he will retain extra charge of the Madhya Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation and the Inter-State Transport Authority.
2010 batch IAS officer Deepak Kumar Saxena, who previously handled Public Relations, has been appointed Excise Commissioner, Gwalior. He had served as Public Relations Commissioner for four months.
Meanwhile, former Excise Commissioner Abhijeet Agrawal, also an IAS officer of 2010 batch, has been appointed Managing Director of the Madhya Pradesh State Cooperative Marketing Federation, Bhopal. Agarwal had held the Excise portfolio for two years and was removed just before the implementation of the new excise policy.
Major Changes in Agriculture and Energy Sectors
In a significant development, 2009 batch IAS officer Ajay Gupta has been removed from the Department of Farmers Welfare and Agriculture and appointed Managing Director of the Madhya Pradesh East Zone Electricity Distribution Company, Jabalpur.
2011 batch IAS officer Umashankar Bhargava, formerly Additional Secretary to the Governor, has been appointed Director of the Farmers Welfare and Agricultural Development Department. This change gains importance as the state government prepares to celebrate 2026 as the Year of Agriculture.
District-Level Administrative Changes
Several district-level administrative appointments were also announced:
- Sunil Dubey, CEO of Bhind, has been appointed Deputy Secretary to the Governor.
- Sanghamitra Gautam, Deputy Secretary in the Higher Education Department, has been appointed CEO of Alirajpur district.
- Nanda Bhalave Kushre, CEO of Agar Malwa, has been appointed Project Director of the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan.
- Kamal Solanki, Deputy Secretary of the School Education Department, has been appointed Chief Program Officer of Raisen district.
- Bhurla Singh Solanki, Additional Collector of Shajapur (SAS), has been appointed CEO of Agar Malwa.
- Milind Kumar Namdev, Additional Collector of Chhatarpur, has been appointed CEO of Khargone.
- Veer Singh Chauhan, Additional Collector of Burhanpur, has been appointed CEO of Bhind District Panchayat.
- Rakesh Sharma, Deputy General Manager of Indore Cooperative Milk Union, has been appointed Chief General Manager of Madhya Pradesh Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitran Company, Bhopal.
Administrative Reshuffle Linked to Policy Priorities
Officials indicate that the sweeping transfers are aimed at strengthening governance across crucial sectors including health, agriculture, excise, public relations, forest management, and power distribution.
With several senior officers reassigned to strategic roles, the reshuffle is seen as a move to enhance administrative efficiency and align departmental leadership with the state government’s evolving policy roadmap.
