Inside The Secretariat: IAS Officers Retirements, Property Returns, Appointments

22 IAS Officers Retirements Lined Up In This Year!

A major shift is being witnessed in Gujarat’s bureaucracy with regard to the retirement pattern, wherein officers who entered the service by clearing the UPSC examination are now retiring in much smaller numbers. In earlier years, this figure used to range between 10 and 15. In the year 2025, six IAS officers retired, and now in 2026, only MK Das is scheduled to retire in December. He is currently serving as the Chief Secretary. However, around 21 other IAS officers are also retiring in the current year, but they are officers who were promoted to the IAS. This group includes HK Koya, DS Gadhvi, DP Desai, BP Chudasama, Tushar Dholakia, BH Talati, HJ Desai, KD Lakhani, SK Modi, KC Sampat, Mehul Dave, PD Palasna, VN Shah, KS Vasava, CB Balat, RM Damor, PP Rana, BM Prajapati, KB Thakkar, BJ Patel, and AB Pandor. In other words, officers who entered the IAS through promotion from the Gujarat Administrative Service are now approaching their retirement.

Revival of Water Recycle Policy On The Cards

In view of the steadily increasing water consumption in Gujarat, the state government had formulated a Water Recycle Policy five years ago to promote the use of recycled water. However, as the policy failed to deliver the desired results, the process of framing a new policy has now been initiated. The proposed policy aims to make the use of recycled water mandatory in industrial units, the real estate sector, urban local bodies, and government offices. Until now, the responsibility for water usage and distribution rested solely with the Water Supply Department. Going forward, the Urban Development Department has also been brought into the framework. This means that the distribution and implementation of recycled water will now be handled by the Urban Development Department. Notably, around 4,300 million litres of wastewater are treated every day in the state, out of which only about 1,000 million litres are actually reused. The remaining treated water is discharged into lakes, rivers, or other water bodies. Despite the fact that treating wastewater costs nearly ₹10 per litre, the lack of its utilization results in significant financial losses. To address this issue, the government is expected to lay down clear and specific guidelines under the new policy.

Three Key Events Put Secretariat In Motion

Whenever Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Gujarat is finalized, the entire administrative machinery swings into action to plan and manage his programs. This time, alongside his visit, preparations for the General Budget for the year 2026–27 and the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference being held in Rajkot have kept Secretariat departments occupied in back-to-back meetings. The Prime Minister will be on a three-day visit to Gujarat from the 10th to the 12th. During his tour, he is scheduled to visit the Somnath Temple, attend the conference in Rajkot, visit the Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, participate in the International Kite Festival, and inaugurate the Metro Rail project up to Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. Meanwhile, in connection with the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference, senior officials of various departments have been continuously engaged in meetings to finalise MoUs and budget-related preparations. The convergence of these three major responsibilities has significantly increased the pressure on the Chief Minister’s Office, members of the Cabinet, and senior officials of the concerned departments. The Prime Minister’s overnight stay is planned at the Somnath temple and at Lok Bhavan in Gandhinagar.

Salary at Risk for Officers Skipping Property Returns

The state’s General Administration Department has issued a directive warning of strict action against government officers who do not submit details of their assets, including houses, land, vehicles, gold, share market investments, and other holdings. Officers have been instructed to file their annual property returns by January 31. Arrangements for filing the returns have been made through the Karmayogi portal, and the prescribed forms and detailed guidelines have also been issued. This provision has been made under Rule 19 of the Gujarat State Service Conduct Rules, 1971, which mandates that every government servant must submit an annual statement of assets in January after the completion of each calendar year. Notably, from 2024 onwards, this rule has been extended to include Class-III employees as well. The government has issued a clear warning that if any officer or employee fails to submit the property return within the stipulated time, their salary will be withheld.

Post-Retirement Appointments Hit A Standstill

Despite several key positions remaining vacant in Gujarat’s administrative setup, four to five officers who retired last year have not received any post-retirement postings. The only exception is former Chief Secretary Pankaj Joshi, who has been appointed as Chairman of the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC). However, the fact that former Chief Secretaries Rajkumar, Other officers-- J.P. Gupta, Kamal Dayani and Sunayana Tomar—who retired last year—have not been assigned any responsibility by the government has caused surprise within the Secretariat. Among the retired officers, one officer was even personally assured by the Chief Minister that their services would be utilised by the government after retirement. Yet, so far, neither that officer nor any other retired IAS officer has been given a contractual appointment. In the last month of the previous year, Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy and Petrochemicals Department, S.J. Haider, also retired. Now, attention is focused on when, where, and whose turn it will be in the next round of appointments. As of now, however, there is no visible movement on this front.

Manpower Boost to Speed Up Land Resurvey!

To expedite the process of land measurement, resurvey, and promulgation in Gujarat, the Revenue Department has issued a set of directives under which action will be taken to immediately fill 1,141 vacant posts across various cadres in the land records branch. In addition, the land records work will be decentralised at the taluka level, and the existing DILR (District Inspector Land Record) designation will now be referred to as ILR (Inspector Land Records). Across the state, the process of promulgation for agricultural land resurvey is underway in 33 districts under the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP). However, due to continued objections and correction requests, the state government—considering representations received—has extended the promulgation process deadline until December 31, 2026. While the government maintains that land measurement and resurvey work has largely been completed, the extension of the promulgation process has been ongoing for the past ten years, and applications raising objections are still being received.

Gujarat Set for April Launch of 16th Census Drive

As the 16th Population Census of India is scheduled to be conducted in two phases—April to September 2026 and March 2027—Gujarat Chief Secretary M.K. Das recently chaired a meeting of the State Level Census Coordination Committee (SLCCC) to review planning and preparatory arrangements. The meeting was attended by Rajesh Manju, Convenor and Secretary of the Revenue Department, and Sujal Mayatra, Director of Census Operations, Gujarat. In Gujarat as well, the census process will commence from April. For the first time, caste-based enumeration will also be carried out. The census exercise will use the House-listing Block Creator web map application. During the first phase, from April to September 2026, data will be collected on all buildings, households, family details, housing conditions, and available amenities. The meeting also emphasised the need to begin workshops and training programs for personnel involved in census operations well in advance of the enumeration process.