Patna, July 9 (IANS) The Bihar government on Thursday transferred Bihar Administrative Service (BAS) officer Pritam Kumar, who was serving as the Personal Secretary to the Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav on central deputation to New Delhi.

The move comes as part of a series of recent deputations of Bihar government officers to Central government organisations.

According to a notification issued by the General Administration Department, Pritam Kumar has been deputed to the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) under the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

He has been appointed as Deputy General Manager (Human Resources and Administration) at NHIDCL.

With the issuance of the notification, Pritam Kumar has been relieved of his responsibilities as Personal Secretary to Tejashwi Yadav and directed to join his new assignment in New Delhi.

Pritam Kumar was appointed as previous Tejashwi Yadav’s government-appointed Personal Secretary in February 2022, following a reshuffle involving several Bihar Administrative Service officers and Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers.

At the time, Pritam Kumar had been awaiting a posting before being assigned to serve as the Personal Secretary to Tejashwi Yadav, who was then serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar.

After subsequent political changes, he continued in the role of Personal Secretary to Tejashwi Yadav in his capacity as the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly.

The transfer is part of a broader trend in which several IAS, IPS, and other state service officers from Bihar have recently been sent on central deputation to various departments and public sector organisations under the Union government.

As of now, the Bihar government has not announced who will replace Pritam Kumar as the government-appointed Personal Secretary to Tejashwi Yadav.

Tejashwi Yadav currently serves as the Bihar Leader of the Opposition, a position that carries Cabinet rank under state government provisions.

As part of the official facilities attached to this constitutional office, the state government is authorised to appoint a Personal Secretary to assist the Leader of the Opposition in carrying out official and administrative responsibilities.

–IANS

ajk/khz