Mr Pant previously served as Secretary at the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare during the COVID-19 pandemic. File Photo: X/@MoHFW_INDIA
Rajasthan Chief Secretary Sudhansh Pant has been shifted to the Centre on deputation and appointed as the Secretary in the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Mr. Pant is likely to assume charge in New Delhi on December 1.
Mr. Pant was appointed as the Chief Secretary on December 31, 2023, after the formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the State.
Mr. Pant is the second senior civil servant to be sent on deputation to the Centre in the middle of his tenure as the Chief Secretary. Earlier, the then Chief Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi was transferred to New Delhi in 2014 during Vasundhara Raje’s tenure as the Chief Minister.
Mr. Pant’s sudden transfer to the Centre, following an approval by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) and coming just 14 months before his retirement, has raised speculations in the political and administrative circles in Jaipur.
The Chief Secretary’s sudden departure from the State is being viewed as an instance of the Centre exercising influence over key bureaucratic appointments. Several IAS officers were now being considered for the top post on the basis of their seniority and experience.
Mr Pant previously served as Secretary at the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Published – November 12, 2025 12:23 am IST
