Bengal gets new Health Secretary in an administrative reshuffle

Kolkata,12 May(HS):  In a major administrative reshuffle in West Bengal, Narayan Swarup Nigam, IAS, was today appointed as the new Health and Family Welfare Principal Secretary in the state in place of Vivek Kumar, who was transferred to the Environment Department in a similar capacity.

In a government notification issued at the state secretariat Nabanna this afternoon, Nigam an IAS officer of 1998 batch, and was the Principal Secretary in Transport department, would now become the new Principal Secretary in the Health and Family Welfare departments of the state in the middle of this national health crisis.

Accordingly, the present Environment Secretary Prabhat Kumar Mishra, an IAS of 1993 batch, would now become the new Transport Secretary in place of Narayan Swarup Nigam. with the additional charge of WRI and D  department and Project Director of Administrative Projects.

Though  it is not known  what prompted the government to  implement the sudden reshuffles in these important administrative and Secretarial positions in the state at the current juncture, a section of political analysts here feel that  the recent hoards of criticism in the proper handling of the Covid-19 situations and the acknowledgement of inadequate supply of  various medical kits in different hospitals might have prompted the replacement of Vivek Kumar, known for his efficiency  in other fields and closeness to the present government