Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 7: Bringing an end to the speculations, the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India, today issued orders appointing Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, Madhav Lal as new Secretary in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Financial Commissioner, Finance, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey is likely to be new Chief Secretary of the State.
The order regarding appointment of Madhav Lal, 1977 batch IAS officer of Jammu and Kashmir Cadre, was issued this evening by Department of Personnel and Training under the signature of B P Sharma, Establishment Officer of DoPT, who is also the Secretary to the Appointment Committee of Cabinet.
“The Appointment Committee of Cabinet has approved appointment of IAS officer of 1977 batch Madhav Lal as Secretary in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the vacancy of Vivek Rae”, the order said.
According to the official sources, Madhav Lal would be relieved by the State Government next week after formally taking decision in the Cabinet meeting.
Born on June 4, 1955, Madhav Lal joined IAS on July 12, 1977 and was allotted J&K Cadre. During his 33-year service, he has held key positions in the State administration. During Farooq Abdullah’s Government (1996-2002), he served as Commissioner-Secretary General Administration Department. Later, he functioned as Financial Commissioner Revenue, Principal Secretary Forest, Principal Secretary Planning and Development Department and Department of Ladakh Affairs. He remained briefly posted as Official on Special Duty in the office of Resident Commissioner in New Delhi. In the Government of India, he served as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Finance (Department of Economic Affairs) and as Member (Finance and Administration) in the National Highway Authority of India.
He was appointed Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir on January 15, 2011. Before his appointment as Chief Secretary he was in the Union Government as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Now, he is joining the same Ministry but as Secretary after unblemished tenure in Jammu and Kashmir.
All through his career in J&K and a couple of Central deputations, Madhav Lal has enjoyed the reputation of a meticulously honest public servant. As Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir he carried out several administrative reforms in order to ensure transparency at all levels.
It was during his tenure that Panchayat elections were held in the State after a long gap and on the recommendations of a committee headed by him funds, functions and functionaries of 14 key departments were transferred to the Panchayats in order to empower these grass root level democratic institutions. Recently, he got prepared Secretariat Induction Manual, which would be of immense help for the officers who will be appointed in the Civil Secretariat in understanding the respective departments and performing duties effectively.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, Financial Commissioner Finance is likely to be the new Chief Secretary of the State. Mr Khandey was promoted to the Fixed Scale of IAS in the month of November last year.
Mr Khandey would be the 11th State Subject appointed for the top slot after Peerzada Ghulam Ahmad, P N Koul, Syed Muzaffar Aga, Noor Muhammad, Mir Nasrullah, Sheikh Ghulam Rasool, S S Bloeria, Vijay Bakaya, C Phunsog and B R Kundal. Mr Khandey would have tenure of nearly three years as he would retire from services in November 2015.
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