Patna: The Bihar government has carried out a major administrative reshuffle, transferring 12 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers and assigning additional responsibilities to four others. The reshuffle includes the posting of four former district magistrates awaiting new assignments, transfers of three municipal commissioners and three deputy development commissioners (DDCs), besides several changes across key departments. Among the major appointments, senior IAS officer Shirsat Kapil Ashok has been given the additional charge of Managing Director of the Bihar State Cooperative Milk Producers' Federation (COMFED).
A 2011-batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre, Shirsat Kapil Ashok is currently serving as Secretary, Dairy, Fisheries and Animal Resources Department, Bihar. An Agricultural Engineering graduate from MPKV, Rahuri, and a postgraduate from IARI, New Delhi, he has previously served as District Magistrate of Patna, Madhubani and East Champaran (Motihari). He is also a member of the Board of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), representing Bihar.
During his tenure as Secretary, the state has launched several initiatives to improve rural livelihoods through dairy and fisheries. One of the flagship programmes is the Bihar Aquaculture Innovation Programme (BAIP), under which the government aims to establish 20,000 aquaculture units across the state. The initiative is expected to increase fish production, reduce dependence on imports from other states, promote entrepreneurship and generate employment opportunities in rural areas. The department has also focused on scientific fish farming, technology adoption and strengthening the fisheries value chain.
In the dairy sector, Shirsat Kapil Ashok has led efforts to expand the reach of COMFED's Sudha brand beyond Bihar. The cooperative has strengthened its presence in markets across India while also exploring opportunities in international markets. The department has simultaneously focused on increasing milk procurement, strengthening dairy cooperatives, expanding processing capacity and improving market access for milk producers.
Another major initiative under his leadership is the Green Fodder Assessment Study, launched across all 38 districts of Bihar with the support of NDDB, COMFED and ISRO. The study uses Remote Sensing and GIS technology to map fodder resources across the state. The exercise is expected to improve animal nutrition, increase milk production and support better planning for the livestock sector.
Bihar has also focused on improving livestock productivity through the promotion of artificial insemination, sex-sorted semen technology and interventions under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission. Special attention has been given to indigenous cattle breeds such as Gir, Sahiwal and Red Sindhi to improve genetic quality and enhance milk yields. These initiatives have helped strengthen the state's dairy ecosystem while contributing to higher incomes for livestock-rearing families.
The reshuffle also saw several senior officers being assigned new responsibilities. Former Bhagalpur District Magistrate Nawal Kishore Choudhary was appointed Managing Director of Bihar State Power Transmission Company Limited and was also given additional charge as Special Secretary, Urban Development and Housing Department. Former Banka District Magistrate Navdeep Shukla was posted as Special Secretary, Skill Development Department, while former Gopalganj District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Sinha became Special Secretary, Higher Education Department. The former Kishanganj District Magistrate was appointed Managing Director of Bihar State Power Generation Company Limited. IAS officer Animesh Kumar Parashar was entrusted with the additional charge of Secretary, Urban Development and Housing Department.
Among other appointments, Shreshtha Anupam was posted as Joint Secretary, Finance Department, Pradeep Singh became Joint Secretary, Tourism Department, and Ananya Singh was appointed Additional Chief Executive Officer of JEEViKA with the additional responsibility of MGNREGA Commissioner. Kumar Mangalam was named Secretary, Revenue Board, Abhishek Palasia was appointed Joint Secretary, Road Construction Department, and Kumar Nishant Vivek became Director, Primary Education. The government also assigned additional responsibilities to several officers, including Nilesh Ramchandra Devre, who was given additional charge as Special Secretary, Urban Development and Housing Department, Saurabh Jorwal, who will additionally head Bihar State Road Development Corporation Limited, and Prashant Kumar C.H., who was entrusted with the additional charge of Project Director, Bihar Education Project Council.
BI Bureau
