Major Bureaucratic Reshuffle in Jammu and Kashmir to Boost Governance

Srinagar:

In a sweeping administrative reshuffle, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday transferred and posted several senior IAS and JKAS officers across key positions in the Union Territory. The move is part of a broader strategy to enhance public service delivery and strengthen governance at both departmental and district levels.

The General Administration Department (GAD) issued the transfer orders under the directive of the Lieutenant Governor. The changes are effective immediately and impact several major administrative and developmental departments.

Among the notable appointments, Mr Naveen S L (IAS, AGMUT: 2012) has been posted as the Secretary to the Government, Civil Aviation Department. He will also hold the additional charge of Commissioner, Civil Aviation, replacing Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, who has been relieved of the additional responsibility.

Ms Avny Lavasa (IAS, AGMUT: 2013), formerly Deputy Commissioner of Jammu, has now been appointed as the Secretary to the Government, Transport Department. In another key posting, Mr Anshul Garg (IAS, AGMUT: 2013) will take over as the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir. He previously served as the CEO of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.

Mr Vikas Kundal (IAS, AGMUT: 2013) has been appointed as Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board. He was earlier serving as the Deputy Commissioner of Poonch. Meanwhile, Mr Gurpal Singh (IAS, AGMUT: 2014) moves from the Directorate of Social Welfare, Jammu, to take over as the Managing Director of the Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited.

The significant religious and administrative role of CEO of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has now been assigned to Mr Sachin Kumar Vaishya (IAS, AGMUT: 2015), who served as Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, before this appointment.

Further, Mr Anil Banka (IAS, AGMUT: 2015), who was awaiting a posting, has been appointed as Special Secretary in the Finance Department. Mr Shrikant Balasaheb Suse (IAS, AGMUT: 2016) will now serve as the Deputy Commissioner of Kupwara, moving from his previous role as MD of the Jammu Power Distribution Corporation.

Among district-level changes, Dr Rakesh Minhas (IAS, AGMUT: 2016) has been appointed as the Deputy Commissioner of Jammu, while Ms Ayushi Sudan (IAS, AGMUT: 2017) becomes Deputy Commissioner of Samba after completing her tenure in Kupwara.

In the JKAS cadre, Mr Manzoor Ahmad Qadri, previously Deputy Commissioner of Bandipora, has been transferred and will await further posting orders from the GAD. Ms Indu Kanwal, who served as Chairman of the J&K Services Selection Board, is now the new Deputy Commissioner of Bandipora.

Mr Mohammad Yasin Choudhary has been appointed as Deputy Commissioner of Poonch, moving from the Labour and Employment Department. Mr Rajesh Sharma, earlier DC Samba, is now posted as Deputy Commissioner of Kathua.

This large scale reshuffle is widely seen as an effort to inject fresh administrative energy and ensure smoother coordination across departments and districts. The transfers come amid the administration’s ongoing push to strengthen transparency, accountability, and efficiency across governance structures in Jammu and Kashmir.