Inside The Secretariat: Govt Rush, AI Portal Rise, And Climate University Moves

Govt In Overdrive: Back-to-Back Meetings As Targets Pile Up

With Gujarat’s new-year budget approaching and local self-government elections also scheduled in the coming year, an atmosphere of continuous meetings has taken over the Swarnim Sankul and the Chief Secretary’s office. Departments are under pressure to meet the deadline set by the Delhi High Command to finish pending works and schemes. Five to six new announcements are being rolled out every day. Orders have been issued to complete all unfinished or partially completed works from the current year's budget. At a time when newly inducted cabinet ministers are still trying to fully understand their departments, such top-level directives have added to their confusion. Meanwhile, Chief Secretary M. K. Das is issuing instructions to departmental heads, reviewing their performance, and taking updates from district administrations through video conferencing. With the government switching into action mode, working against the clock has become increasingly challenging.

AI Portal Tightens Grip: Officials Can No Longer Bury Files

All Gujarat government departments have been assigned a new task: an integrated portal is being built to consolidate all GRs, notifications, laws, guidelines and resolutions of every department. It will be used for government work on a trial basis. Since the announcement is to be made in the last week of this month, departments have been instructed to appoint nodal officers and upload documents. This portal will be Artificial Intelligence (AI) based, enabling higher authorities to view applicant details and detect missing documents instantly. An official said that incomplete adherence to GRs often causes inexcusable delays in applicants’ work. With this portal, all information will be available in one place, preventing suspicious officials from hiding documents or delaying processes.

Revenue Dept Tightens System To Block Corruption

A significant reform has been introduced in the state’s Revenue Department to curb corruption and complaints. Additional Chief Secretary Dr. Jayanti Ravi has changed the authority responsible for issuing licenses to private surveyors for land and property measurement. Earlier, this responsibility lay with the office of the Settlement Commissioner–Director of Land Records. Now, the power has been directly delegated to district collectors. Measurement cases have been rising for the past few years, and delays in issuing licenses at the state level have led to allegations of irregularities. Under the new system, all 33 district collectors have the authority to register surveyors, renew licenses, certify, cancel licenses, and determine and recover measurement fees. They will also oversee monitoring of cases, training, deposits and records of private surveyors.

Gujarat To Get A New DGP By The End Of December

With the extension period of Gujarat DGP Vikas Sahay — a 1989-batch IPS officer — set to end in late December, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi has initiated the process to select the state's next police chief. The DGP’s post, considered as crucial as that of the Chief Secretary, naturally attracts intense attention and speculation within police circles. The senior-most contender is Dr. Shamsher Singh of the 1991 batch, but he is currently on central deputation in New Delhi and is considered unlikely to return. In that scenario, 1992-batch officer Dr. K.L. Narayan Rao is next in line by seniority. However, buzz within the system indicates that the state may choose either 1993-batch officer Gyanendra Singh Malik or Manoj Shashidhar, who is also serving on central deputation. A formal decision is expected soon as the leadership transition nears.

Depts Ordered To Prepare Policies Half-Year Early

Since the government often lacks timely information on which policies are expiring or due for revision, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has directed all departments to begin the revision process at least six months in advance. In Gujarat’s policy-driven governance model, departments have frequently informed the government about expiring policies only at the last moment, forcing extensions of outdated policies. In a recent state cabinet meeting, senior officers were asked to remain vigilant about policy timelines. The government is expected to announce 8 to 10 policies whose drafts have already been finalised.

Top Brass Shuffle: Govt Prepares For IAS Promotion Wave

With Gujarat’s bureaucracy stretched thin and several key departments running on additional charge, the state is set to clear promotions for five IAS officers of the 1996 batch to the rank of Additional Chief Secretary in early January. This move is expected to pave the way for permanent postings in departments that have remained vacant for months. The last round of senior promotions saw two officers of the 1995 batch — Vatsala Vasudeva and D. Thara — elevated to the ACS rank. Those now in the queue include Mona Khandhar, Dr. T. Natarajan, Rajiv Topno, Mamta Verma and Mukesh Kumar. More than a dozen posts in the state administrative setup are currently being managed through an additional charge. Similarly, two officers of the 2001 batch — Arti Kanwar and Vijay Nehra — are likely to be promoted as Principal Secretaries. These developments indicate that a reshuffle inside the Secretariat is likely by the end of December.

Rajkumar Emerges Front-Runner For GVC Post

The names of two to three retired officers were under consideration for the vacant post of Chairperson in the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC), but the state government has finally selected and appointed former Chief Secretary Pankaj Joshi. Earlier, former Chief Secretary Anil Mukim had been appointed to this post. Similarly, the government has now begun discussions to appoint another retired officer as the Gujarat Vigilance Commissioner, a post that has remained vacant since the tenure of Sangeeta Singh ended last October. According to sources in the Secretariat, former Chief Secretary Rajkumar is emerging as the frontrunner for the position. It appears that this post too will be filled by the end of the month. In effect, former Chief Secretaries seem to be getting placed in key positions within the state government.

Climate University Moves From Plan To Action

After the establishment of the Climate Change Department in Gujarat in 2009, related activities were initiated. However, with rising water and air pollution over the years, the state government made a budgetary provision last year to set up an independent university under this department to develop trained and specialised manpower. Now, the Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA) has started preparations to design the structure of the proposed university. Typically, a university’s Registrar is a permanent post, but in this case, the Education Department has begun discussions as applications are being invited through outsourcing to appoint a Registrar with a monthly salary of ₹90,000. Once the university’s structure is finalised, the government is likely to place the proposal for approval during the upcoming budget session of the assembly.