SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, Nov. 26: The departmental promotion committee (DPC), headed by Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh, is likely to hold a meeting in December second week to take a call on promotions to 12 Jharkhand cadre IAS officers.
Chief Secretary rank
According to sources, former Principal Secretary to CM and Welfare Secretary Rajiv Arun Ekka is likely to be promoted to chief secretary’s rank.
Ekka, a 1994 batch IAS officer, has been embroiled in corruption charges after a leaked video in this regard surfaced in March this year in which he is seen signing official government documents in a builder’s office and allegedly discussing helping him. He is accused of helping a private builder.
Ekka was later removed from his post of principal secretary to the chief minister and was transferred to the Panchayati Raj department.
The Jharkhand government constituted a judicial commission to probe into the charges against him. The commission, headed by Justice VK Gupta, a retired Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court, gave him the clean chit.
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However, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) swung into action, questioned him and shared a detailed list of charges with the state government pleading to take action against Ekka.
Incidentally, the ED’s report will not get in the way of the promotion of Ekka, who is due to retire on March 31 next year.
“Under the rules, the DPC can withhold promotion to an IAS officer only when he is either suspended or charge-sheeted or facing trial after sanction of prosecution by a competent authority. But in Ekka’s case, the ED has just shared a report on irregularities allegedly committed by him. No action has been initiated against him,” pointed out a personnel department official.
Principal Secretary rank
Three IAS officers from the 1999 batch–Secretary to CM-cum-Urban Development Secretary Vinay Kumar Choubey, Road Construction Secretary Sunil Kumar and Higher and Technical Education Secretary Rahul Purwar are going to get promoted to the rank of Principal Secretary.
Secretary rank
According to sources, eight 2008 batch IAS officers–Jitendra Singh, Harsh Mangla, Kamleshwar Prasad Singh, C K Oraon, Sunil Kumar, Yatindra Prasad, Arava Rajkamal and Chandrashekhar–will get promotions in Secretary’s rank. At present, they are in the special secretary’s rank.
Will get a promotion on January 1
The notification will be issued by the Ministry of Personnel after the DPC puts its seal on their promotion. Everyone will get a promotion from January 1, 2024.
