The national capital on Thursday saw a major bureaucratic reshuffle with the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) chief removed from his position in the aftermath of the deadly South Delhi blaze that claimed 23 lives and the Health Department witnessing a big shake-up following a recent procurement scandal.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Taranjit Singh Sandhu ordered the reshuffle in the state’s bureaucracy by reallocating departments involving 43 senior Indian Administrative Services (IAS) and Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS) officers.
Special Secretary (Home) Sachin Rana has been given the additional charge of the Delhi Fire Services chief, replacing A Nedunchezhiyan. The change comes at a time when Delhi’s fire safety and emergency response mechanisms have come under intense public and administrative scrutiny following a series of major fire incidents. After the Malviya Nagar fire, the L-G had castigated the DFS for failure to do due diligence.
The order also says all senior Health Department officials have been changed. Further, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) will no longer have the authority to approve departmental expenditure and financial proposals. This power has been given to Special Secretary (Health) Yash Chaudhary (IAS, AGMUT cadre of 2017 batch). Chaudhary will have financial powers along with an additional charge of the Central Procurement Authority (CPA).
Changes come close on the heels of Delhi’s Anti-Corruption Bureau unearthing a Rs 350-crore medical equipment procurement scam in which a doctor was arrested.
Vinod Kumar Ranga, who was earlier Head of Office of the CPA, nodal body responsible for procuring medicines, medical equipment and other healthcare supplies for Delhi government hospitals, was also recently suspended after the Directorate of Vigilance conducted raids at the CPA office in May over the scam.
The DGHS serves as the technical head of Delhi’s public healthcare system, overseeing government hospitals, public health programmes and medical administration. The Health Department Secretariat, headed by senior IAS officers, is responsible for policy formulation and overall administrative supervision.
With the latest order, financial decision-making shifts from the directorate to the administrative secretariat, effectively placing greater control over departmental expenditure and approvals in the hands of the Special Secretary (Health).
Although the order does not specify the rationale, the redistribution of the financial authority represents an important administrative change because expenditure approvals often determine the pace at which projects, procurements and public health initiatives move through the government system.
DANICS officer Mukesh Rajora has been appointed the Secretary to Health Minister Pankaj Singh, who also holds Transport and Information Technology portfolios.
The government has also appointed Pandurang K Pole as the Secretary, Land and Building, a department that deals with government land, acquisition matters and coordination with multiple land-owning agencies in the Capital, while G Sudhakar has been posted as the Director, Women and Child Development, in addition to holding charge of the State Urban Livelihoods Mission and Delhi Commission for Women. Several DANICS officers have simultaneously been appointed as secretaries to ministers across portfolios such as Industries, Environment, Law, Labour, Social Welfare and Health, signalling a wider administrative reorganisation under the new government. The transfer order has been implemented with immediate effect.