The Himachal Pradesh government has relieved Priyatu Mandal, a 2006-batch IAS officer, from his current duties following his appointment as the Director of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation (SPM-NIWAS) in Kolkata.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena issued the orders on Friday. Priyatu Mandal held multiple key positions in the state prior to his central deputation. He was serving as the Secretary for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Technical Education, Vocational and Industrial Training, Fisheries and Revenue.
Additionally, he held the charge of Managing Director of HP Financial Corporation, Shimla, and Chairman of the Appellate HP Tax Tribunal in Dharamshala. With his departure, these departments and responsibilities are expected to be reassigned to other officers, signaling an impending major administrative reshuffle in the state.
This development follows a trend of senior IAS officers from Himachal Pradesh being deputed to central government roles. Just last month, IAS officer Ashutosh Garg was deputed to Delhi as the Private Secretary to Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda for a five-year tenure.
Moreover, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has recently approved the central deputation of two other senior IAS officers from Himachal Pradesh — Manish Garg (1996 batch) and Amandeep Garg (1999 batch).
Manish Garg, who is currently the Chief Electoral Officer, will now serve as the Deputy Election Commissioner at the Election Commission of India. Amandeep Garg, overseeing the Forest, Personnel and PWD departments, has been appointed as the Additional Secretary in the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
