Kolkata: In a historic development for West Bengal, senior IAS officer Nandini Chakravorty was appointed as the new Chief Secretary of the state on Wednesday, becoming the first woman to ever hold this prestigious post, a senior official confirmed.
Chakravorty takes over from Manoj Pant, who was earlier scheduled to retire on June 30 but was granted a six-month extension from July 1 to December 31. Prior to this elevation, Chakravorty served as the Home Secretary of West Bengal, a position that will now be taken over by Jagdish Prasad Meena, the official added.
Meanwhile, Manoj Pant has been appointed as the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, retaining the rank of Chief Secretary.
Alongside this major reshuffle, the state government has announced additional responsibilities for several senior IAS officers through separate notifications.
- Atri Bhattacharya, Additional Chief Secretary of the Sundarban Affairs Department, has been given the additional charge of Director General of the Netaji Subhas Administrative Training Institute.
- Barun Kumar Ray, Additional Chief Secretary of the Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy Sources Department, will now also oversee the Tourism Department.
- Surendra Gupta, Principal Secretary of the Public Health Engineering Department, has been assigned the additional role of Divisional Commissioner of the Presidency Division.
- Dushyant Nariala, Additional Chief Secretary of the North Bengal Development Department, has been entrusted with additional responsibilities of Principal Secretary, GTA, along with handling the Correctional Administration Department.
These appointments reflect a significant administrative reshuffle in the state’s top bureaucracy as West Bengal moves into the new year.