T.K. Jose to be State’s new Home Secretary

The State government goes in for major bureaucratic reshuffle

The government on Thursday decided on a major reshuffle at other top levels of the bureaucracy.

Additional Chief Secretary (Public Works) T.K. Jose will be shifted to the Home and Vigilance portfolio with the additional charge of Water Resources and Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation.

Kochi Metro Rail Managing Director Alkesh Kumar Sharma will hold additional charge of Additional Chief Secretary (Special Projects and Kochi-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor) and Executive Officer, Smart City, Kochi. Revenue Principal Secretary V. Venu will be transferred to the Department of Planning and Economic Affairs with additional charge of Secretary, Planning Board, and Principal Secretary, Cultural Affairs.

A. Jayatilak will take over as Revenue Principal Secretary with the additional charge of the Kerala State Housing Board.

Fisheries Principal Secretary Ishitha Roy will be the new Agricultural Production Commissioner holding additional charge of Principal Secretary, Agriculture.

Biswanath Sinha will be appointed Local Self-Government (Urban) Principal Secretary and Puneet Kumar will take over as Principal Secretary, SC/ST Development, in his place. He will also hold charge of Backward Classes Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs. Animal Husbandry Secretary Tinku Biswal will have additional charge of Fisheries, Zoos and Sports and Youth Affairs while Power Secretary B. Ashok will be transferred to Water Resources.

Other appointments

The Cabinet also decided to appoint Dinesh Arora as Secretary, Public Works, on his return from training. He has been given additional charge of Power.

Director of Fisheries S. Venkatesapathy will be transferred as Managing Director, Kerala Water Authority, and KSTP Director M.G. Rajamanikyam will be appointed in his place.

Personnel and Administrative Reforms Secretary K. Gopalakrishna Bhat will be given additional charge of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (Official Language).

Thiruvananthapuram District Collector K. Gopalakrishnan will be shifted to Malappuram.

He will be replaced by Navjot Khosa, Managing Director, Kerala Medical Services Corporation. Food Safety Commissioner A.R. Ajayakumar will be given additional charge of MD, KMSC.

Registrar of Cooperative Societies A. Alexander will be the new Alappuzha Collector. He will replace M. Anjana who will be transferred to Kottayam. Jalanidhi Executive Director Joshi Mrinmayi Sasank will be transferred as Staff Officer to the Chief Secretary with additional charge of Executive Director, Jalanidhi, Deputy Secretary, Water Resources (National Hydrology and DRIP projects and water resources projects under the Rebuild Kerala Initiative).

Civil Supplies Director Narasimhugari T.L. Reddy will be appointed Registrar of Cooperative Societies. General Administration Joint Secretary Haritha V. Kumar will hold additional charge of Civil Supplies Director.

General Administration Deputy Secretary Renuraj will be the new Urban Affairs Director.