Ashok Barnwal Named Officiating Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh

IAS officer Ashok Barnwal has been appointed officiating Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, according to an order issued late Wednesday night. Barnwal, a 1991-batch officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, was serving as Additional Chief Secretary in the Public Health and Medical Education department before this posting.

The Chief Secretary is the seniormost civil servant in a state government, acting as the administrative head of the state secretariat and the principal channel between the state cabinet and the bureaucracy. In Madhya Pradesh, the post also carries oversight of coordination between the Chief Minister's Office and various departments during a period when the Mohan Yadav government is pushing several policy initiatives, including the recently cleared Uniform Civil Code framework.

Barnwal has held a wide spread of assignments through his career in the Madhya Pradesh cadre, including stints as Principal Secretary in the Forest department, the Chief Minister's Office, and the Horticulture and Food Processing department. He was also Additional Chief Secretary for Farmer Welfare and Agriculture Development before his move to Public Health and Medical Education, giving him experience across the state's social sector and rural economy portfolios.

He steps up from the Public Health and Medical Education department, where he was Additional Chief Secretary, a posting that put him in charge of the state's hospital network and medical education infrastructure. His elevation follows the exit of Anurag Jain from the post.

The appointment comes directly on the heels of Jain's selection as Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog, which left the state's top administrative post vacant with immediate effect. Barnwal's elevation to hold charge until further orders is the standard mechanism used in such situations, ahead of a more permanent arrangement being decided by the state government.

As officiating Chief Secretary, Barnwal will be responsible for steering the state bureaucracy through the transition and ensuring continuity in ongoing programmes tied to the state's welfare schemes and infrastructure push, pending any further reshuffle of senior officers that typically follows a Chief Secretary change.

The order was issued by M Selvendran, Principal Secretary in the Department of Personnel, appointing Barnwal as officiating Chief Secretary until further orders.