A 1985 batch IAS officer and Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, Mr Iqbal Singh Bains, has got the extension for another six months, starting June 1. His extension of service was approved by the central government.
Mr. Bains, who was set to retire in November 2022, was given his first extension till May 31, 2023, which has again been stretched till November 30, 2023. The Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, which will face elections in November 2023, requested the Centre on May 6, to extend Chief Secretary Bains’ tenure .
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under the Ministry of Personnel, Personal Grievances and Pensions communicated this to the State Government on May 17 in a letter to the Principal Secretary of the Department of General Administration of the Madhya Pradesh government.
Mr. Bains has nearly 40 years of experience and has been part of various government departments, from energy to rural development to aviation. In 2012, he was responsible for conceptualizing and implementing a first of its kind, Public Service Delivery Guarantee Act in Madhya Pradesh, that guaranteed time bound delivery of public services to citizens. It worked as a key tool in curbing corruption at the lower levels of state bureaucracy.
In August 2016, he was instrumental for establishing the groundbreaking Ministry of Happiness in Madhya Pradesh, a volunteer led initiative to promote happiness as an essential component of public policy.
Alongside numerous other activities, the Happiness Ministry designed a programme called “Pause” that equips people with the competences and skills required to live a fulfilling life.
