Bhaskar Sawant, a 1995 batch IAS officer, who is serving as principal secretary food, civil supplies and consumer affairs, has been given additional charge of principal secretary UDH, LSG and chairman of Housing Board and JCTSL – the posts being held by T Ravikanth.
Ravikanth, a 1998 batch IAS officer is going on leave till September 2 2024. As per DoP order, the responsibilities of Ravikanth will be handled by Bhaskar Sawant.
Sawant, who had been principal secretary of UDH and chairman housing board from February 2019 to April 2021, had handled charge of Ravikanth in past also when he went on leave.
Sawant is a seasoned civil servant with loads of experience in working in diverse fields like agriculture, energy and urban infrastructure development.
A silent worker, Bhaskar's tenure as chairman of discoms and principal secretary energy will be remembered as he handled the ‘tricky' department extremely well. He ensured that the state didn't face any power shortage.
Walking on tightrope, he ensured that the public in general didn't face power crisis when the state was reeling under acute shortage of coal and the power generation plants were looking up to the government for the fuel supply.
Bhaskar Sawan through his acumen juggled well to maintain the steady supply of coal and uninterrupted generation of power from plants. He didn't shy away from buying power at appropriate rates to ensure availability of electricity.
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