HT Correspondent htjharkhand@hindustantimes.com
Chief minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday appointed 1988 batch IAS officer L Khiangte as the state’s new chief secretary, replacing incumbent 1987-batch officer Shukhdeo Singh, people aware of the development said.
Khiangte was currently serving as the director general of the administrative training institute (ATI) besides holding the additional charge of additional chief secretary, forest, environment and climate change department.
Singh was appointed chief secretary by CM Hemant Soren in March 2020, around three months after he came to power. Singh was said to retire in March 2024 and was tipped to complete his term as CS of the state. However, he has now been transferred and posted as director general, ATI.
Khiangte is set to retire on October 31, 2024, and is likely to continue in his new assignment till then, sources said.
“He is likely to hold office till then as the term of the current assembly would end in November-December next year. The model code of conduct for the Jharkhand assembly elections could set in either in October or November 2024. So it is unlikely that we would see another change at the top till October,” an official said.
The sudden change of guard at the top of bureaucracy took the corridors of power by surprise as Singh was considered close to the chief minister. Singh was principal secretary to Soren during his first tenure as chief minister in 2013. He had also served as principal secretary to two former chief ministers Shibu Soren and Madhu Kora.