Promotion / Diwali Bonanza for 2005 Batch as DPC Cleared Their Promotion to Secretary Level

According to sources, the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) has already been held to clear the names of the officials belonging to the batch to secretary level.

This batch has as many as nine officers out of which seven are direct recruits while remaining two are promoted from GAS.

Surat Municipal Commissioner Banchha Nidhi Pani tops the batch in Gujarat. Next to him is Harshad Patel, currently CEO of Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA) and also relief commissioner.

Former Ahmedabad collector and now serving the central deputation Vikrant Pandey, State Project Director of Sarva Siksha Abhiyan P Bharathi, Commissioner of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Ranjeeth Kumar, Vadodara Collector Shalini Agrawal and another former Ahmedabad Collector and now additional secretary in the Home Department KK Nirala are the direct recruit officers belonging to the 2005 batch.

The promoted officers include in the batch Mehsana Collector HK Patel and Jamnagar Municipal Commissioner Satish Patel. Another promoted officer belonging to the batch is Manoj Kothari, who recently retired as Narmada Collector.

According to sources, the DPC has been held and all formalities have been completed to issue promotion orders of the 2005 batch IAS officers.

With promotion, Shalini Agrwal and HK Patel will have to be moved from their respective posts as collectors of Vadodara and Mehsana respectively.

Sources added that since by-elections for eight assembly seats are underway and code of conduct is in place, promotion orders may be issued along with much awaited general transfer orders in November.