A year ahead of state elections, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has changed chief secretary in the state.
He has appointed 1988 batch IAS officer L Khiangte as the state's new chief secretary, replacing 1987-batch officer Sukhdeo Singh, who was to retire in March 2024. However his tenure has been cut short and is posted as director general, Administrative Training Institute (ATI)
Soren had appointed Singh as the chief secretary in March 2020, around three months after he came to power.
Khiangte was currently serving as the director general of ATI apart from holding the additional charge of additional chief secretary, forest, environment and climate change department.
Khiangte is scheduled to retire on October 31, 2024, which almost coincide with the term of this government which is likely to end November-December next year.
The replacement of Sukhdeo Singh is an unexpected move since he had been a trusted officer of Hemant Soren. He was principal secretary to Soren during his first tenure as chief minister in 2013. He had also served as principal secretary to two former chief ministers Shibu Soren and Madhu Kora.
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