Manish Singh, 2009-Batch IAS Officer, Appointed Commissioner of Public Relations in Madhya Pradesh
2009-batch IAS officer Manish Singh has been appointed as the Commissioner of Public Relations in Bhopal, MP, to bolster government communication frameworks while retaining his role as Transport Secretary.
The Madhya Pradesh government has appointed Manish Singh, a 2009-batch IAS officer, as Commissioner of Public Relations in Bhopal, while he continues to hold his existing charge as Secretary of the Transport Department.
The Commissioner of Public Relations oversees the state government's official communication strategy, including coordination with print and broadcast media, management of government press releases, and publicity for state schemes and initiatives, a function distinct from but often coordinated closely with the Chief Minister's Office on major policy announcements.
Singh's dual charge, holding both the Public Relations Commissioner role and his existing Transport Secretary position simultaneously, reflects a staffing arrangement Madhya Pradesh has used periodically when an officer's administrative bandwidth allows combining a communications-focused charge with a substantive departmental secretaryship.
The Public Relations Department in Madhya Pradesh, as in most states, plays a coordinating role during major government events, elections, and policy rollouts, requiring close liaison with district-level information officers who handle localised media coordination and public information dissemination.
Singh's prior experience as Transport Secretary, a department with substantial public-facing regulatory functions spanning vehicle registration, permits, and road safety enforcement, brings direct familiarity with managing public communication around policy changes and enforcement drives, relevant experience for the added Public Relations charge.
The dual-charge arrangement allows the state to keep an experienced officer in the transport portfolio while extending his responsibilities into public communications, rather than transferring him out of Transport entirely to accommodate the new assignment.
The appointment order was issued through the Madhya Pradesh General Administration Department, which administers postings and additional charges for the state's IAS cadre officers.
