In a historic administrative reshuffle, the West Bengal government on Wednesday appointed senior IAS officer Nandini Chakraborty as the state's chief secretary, making her the first woman to hold the top bureaucratic post. Her appointment was cleared by Governor CV Ananda Bose.
A Landmark Appointment Ahead of Elections
Nandini Chakraborty, a 1994-batch Indian Administrative Service officer, superseded eight senior IAS officers to secure the position. This significant move by the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government comes just months before the state is scheduled to hold Assembly elections.
Chakraborty took charge from the outgoing chief secretary, Manoj Pant, whose six-month extension ended on December 31. Pant, a 1991-batch officer, had retired on June 30 but had been granted an extension until the year's end. Following his tenure as chief secretary, Pant has been appointed as the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, holding the rank of chief secretary.
Chakraborty's Career and Political Navigation
Nandini Chakraborty's career trajectory is notable for its continuity across political regimes. She was closely associated with the previous Left Front government and headed the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation during the volatile 2007-2008 land acquisition agitations in Singur and Nandigram. These movements were famously led by Mamata Banerjee, who was then in the opposition.
Despite this past association, when the TMC came to power in 2011 and Mamata Banerjee became chief minister, Chakraborty retained her position as the WBIDC chief. She was later given the additional responsibility of the Information and Culture Department, demonstrating the administration's trust in her capabilities.
A senior officer at the state secretariat, Nabanna, suggested that Chakraborty's appointment could strategically benefit the ruling government. "Her appointment will give the TMC government an upper hand in dealing with the Election Commission during the Assembly polls, due in a few months," the officer stated.
Wider Administrative Reshuffle
The appointment triggered a series of other key administrative changes within the state bureaucracy:
- Jagdish Prasad Meena, a 2004-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as the new Home Secretary, replacing Nandini Chakraborty. Meena was previously the Secretary of the Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department.
- Atri Bhattacharya, Additional Chief Secretary (1989 batch), has been given additional charge as Director General of the Netaji Subhas Administrative Training Institute, while retaining his current portfolio of the Sundarban Affairs Department.
- Barun Kumar Roy, Additional Chief Secretary for Non-Conventional & Renewable Energy Sources, will now also handle the Tourism Department, a portfolio previously held by Chakraborty.
- Surendra Gupta, Principal Secretary of the Public Health Engineering Department, takes on the additional role of divisional commissioner for the Presidency Division.
- Dushyant Nariala, Additional Chief Secretary of the North Bengal Development Department, has been assigned the charge of Principal Secretary for the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), along with the Correctional Administration Department.
This comprehensive reshuffle positions a seasoned administrator with experience in industrial development and culture at the helm of the state's bureaucracy during a critical pre-election period, setting a new precedent for women in Bengal's administrative history.
