Govt transfers and postings sans rules, regulations or logical reasoning

Jaipur: The process of transfer and posting of government employees seems to have become devoid of the importance of rules, regulations or logical reasoning. Rajendra Singh Shekhawat and Rajendra Vijay, both officers from the 2010 batch, have had their fates decided differently in the latest reshuffle. Some interesting instances of seniors and juniors are worth mentioning.

Rajendra Vijay was made the Divisional Commissioner of Kota while Rajendra Shekhawat remains the Collector of the small district of Shahpura. The decision by Department of Personnel (DoP) is beyond understanding.

In the new government, all district collectors have been changed except for Arvind Poswal, who has retained his position in Udaipur since July 2023. He holds the record for being the Collector of Rajsamand for three years in the previous government and his connections with top politicians are wellknown. The fact that Arvind Poswal has not been transferred has sparked discussions within bureaucratic circles.

Rajendra Singh Shekhawat, a junior officer from the 2015 RAS batch, has nonetheless held several important roles such as RAA (Ajmer), DSO Ajmer, and ED-RTDC in a short period of 9 years whereas these positions were typically held by senior officers with 18 years of experience. In the recent changes, 1998 batch officer Rajesh Singh has taken over the position of ED RTDC from Shekhawat. Shekhawat’s new posting as RTO Jaipur also stands out.

The post of financial advisor is the most senior and important in the account service. Everyone keeps an eye on the transfer posting or additional charge on it.

Mohd Mohsin Khan has held the post of Financial Advisor in the Rajasthan State Road Development and Construction Corporation (RSRDCC) for seven years, a record in the accounts service. Generally, the financial advisor gets transferred in two or three years. In the last 5 years, officers were changed in RSRDCC and its nodal department PWD but Khan retained the post.

Mahendra Singh Bhukar serves as a Financial Advisor in the Commercial Tax Dept and has also held the additional charge of Financial Advisor in the Transport Department for past two years. The previous commissioner could not have him transferred, but new commissioner Shuchi Tyagi replaced him through a single order.

Interestingly, instead of appointing a new full-time Financial Advisor, the medical and health department’s FA Veena Gupta, has taken on addl responsibilities. Bhukar’s transfer is a hot topic among accounts service officers.

Similarly, Manish Shukla, GM Finance at the Rajasthan State Beverages Corporation, was recently assigned additional charge of Financial Advisor of Raj Roadways, despite a clear need for a full-time FA in Roadways. There are many equations behind why and where a financial advisor should be appointed or given addl charge.