Governance – Chhattisgarh Government Revamps Chief Minister’s Secretariat Structure
Governance – The Chhattisgarh government has initiated a significant restructuring within the Chief Minister’s Secretariat as part of its efforts to improve administrative efficiency, transparency, and accountability. The latest changes involve a redistribution of responsibilities among senior officials and the introduction of a new monitoring framework aimed at strengthening governance across the state.
Key Responsibilities Assigned to Principal Secretary
According to an official government notification, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Subodh Kumar Singh, has been entrusted with several high-level coordination responsibilities. His role will include maintaining communication and coordination with the President’s Secretariat, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Supreme Court, NITI Aayog, both Houses of Parliament, and Chief Ministers from other states.
In addition, he will supervise matters connected to the Council of Ministers, officers of the All India Services, implementation of public commitments, the Chief Minister’s Dashboard, and various special initiatives undertaken by the state government.
Oversight of Major Government Departments
The reshuffle also assigns Singh oversight of several important departments, including General Administration, Finance, Mineral Resources, Law and Legislative Affairs, and Commerce and Industry. These portfolios are considered central to policy implementation and administrative coordination.
Secretary Mukesh Kumar Bansal has been given responsibility for monitoring the progress of announcements made by the Chief Minister. His portfolio includes Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Cooperation, Energy, Water Resources, Food and Civil Supplies, Excise, and Forest and Climate Change-related matters.
Focus on Welfare and Public Service Delivery
Secretary P. Dayanand will oversee the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, the Discretionary Fund, and the Chief Minister’s Special Health Assistance Scheme. His responsibilities also extend to Public Works, Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education, Goods and Services Tax, Registration, and Parliamentary Affairs.
Rahul Bhagat, serving as Secretary, has been assigned coordination duties related to the Chief Minister’s Residence. Alongside this role, he will supervise departments such as Home, Jails, Transport, Culture, Tourism, Sports and Youth Welfare, Women and Child Development, and the welfare departments for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes.
Monitoring Governance and Development Initiatives
Special Secretary Rajat Bansal will oversee issues related to the state’s Good Governance Festival, implementation of the Right to Information framework, and matters concerning elected public representatives. His departmental responsibilities include Panchayat and Rural Development, School Education, Higher Education, Housing and Environment, Public Health Engineering, Village Industries, and Aviation.
Meanwhile, Joint Secretary Prabhat Malik has been assigned responsibility for monitoring public grievance redressal systems, including the Jandarshan programme. He will also supervise the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Urban Administration, Information Technology, Planning, Skill Development and Employment, and Labour-related matters.
New Nodal Officer System Introduced
In a major administrative initiative, the state government has introduced a dedicated nodal officer system for the first time. Five senior officers have been appointed to oversee the state’s five administrative divisions—Raipur, Bilaspur, Bastar, Surguja, and Durg.
These officers will be responsible for collecting field-level information on government welfare schemes, development works, and unresolved public grievances. The objective is to improve monitoring mechanisms and ensure that feedback from local areas reaches the administration more effectively.
Officials believe the new arrangement will help strengthen coordination between the state government and regional administrations while improving the delivery of public services and development programmes across Chhattisgarh.