The Centre appointed a 1988-batch Indian Administrative Services officer (IAS) from AGMUT cadre, Mr. Dharam Pal, as a new Adviser to the UT Administrator on Monday.
The government orders said, “Consequent upon repatriation from Central Deputation, Dharam Pal, IAS (AGMUT:1988) is hereby posted to Chandigarh as Advisor to the Administrator, with immediate effect and until further orders.”
Mr. Pal belongs to the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre. Before being appointed as a new adviser, he was an additional secretary in the department of fertilizers under the Union ministry of chemicals and fertilizers, New Delhi.
Replacing IAS Manoj Parida, who will take over as the chairman of the National Authority of Chemical Weapons Convention, Mr. Pal will join office on Wednesday.
The new UT Adviser has a seven-year international working experience with the United Nations and has helped to deliver health services to communities located over different islands.
He became a subject of public disagreement after issuing orders on the appointment of Joint Police Commissioner Mr. Mukesh Kumar Meena as the head of the Delhi government’s Anti-Corruption Branch.
Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal removed him from the post of Principal Secretary (Home) Delhi but Lieutenant Governor’s office had asked him to stay in same post.
He was then transferred to the Department of Fertilizers in the Centre in July 2017 where he held the position of Additional Secretary.
The new UT Adviser said that health sector and management of Covid-19 is his top prority.
