Shimla, June 1 (IANS) A 1993-batch IAS officer, Kamlesh Kumar Pant, on Monday assumed the additional charge of Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary, replacing Sanjay Gupta of the 1988 batch, who retired a day earlier.

Pant, the senior-most IAS officer, was serving as Additional Chief Secretary of Forests. The Department of Personnel has sent a panel of five senior IAS officers to the Chief Minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, for appointment as the next Chief Secretary.

Besides Pant, the panel comprised Anuradha Thakur and Onkar Sharma of the 1994 batch, and Bharat Khera and R.D. Nazeem of the 1995 batch. Thakur and Khera are currently on Central deputation, while the others are serving in the state.

The outgoing incumbent, Gupta, was appointed acting Chief Secretary on October 1, 2025, and made regular Chief Secretary on May 26, just before his retirement. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu praised Gupta’s tenure, saying he served the state effectively and steered several critical decisions.

According to an official notification by the Department of Personnel: “Kamlesh Kumar Pant, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue-cum-Financial Commissioner (Revenue), Additional Chief Secretary (Forest, Home and Vigilance) and Chairman, Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board, Shimla, shall hold the additional charge of the post of Chief Secretary to the government of Himachal Pradesh, with immediate effect, in addition to his own duties.”

After assuming charge, Pant presided over a meeting with Administrative Secretaries at the Secretariat. He also called on Governor Kavinder Gupta at Lok Bhavan as a courtesy call. Pant will continue to oversee his existing responsibilities alongside his new role as the state’s top bureaucrat.

–IANS

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