Himachal: IAS officer Kamlesh Kumar given additional charge of chief secretary

Shimla, Jun 1 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh's Additional Chief Secretary cum Financial Commissioner Kamlesh Kumar Pant was given additional charge of chief secretary on Monday, according to a notification issued here. The 1993-batch IAS officer will also retain charge of additional chief secretary (Revenue, Forest, Home and Vigilance) and chairman of the state pollution board, a notification issued here said. The chief secretary's (CS) post fell vacant following the superannuation of Sanjay Gupta on May 31. Gupta was given the additional charge of chief secretary on October 1, 2025, and elevated as regular CS on May 26 this year, five days before his retirement. Pant, a B.Tech graduate from IIT Kanpur, earlier served as chairperson of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority in New Delhi (2021-2024). He also served as chief vigilance officer at the National Highways Authority of India and as joint secretary (Defence Production). Leader of Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jairam Thakur asked why Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is so reluctant to appoint a permanent chief secretary. "Why is the CM making a mockery of the administrative system in the name of systemic change?" the BJP leader said in a statement issued here. In the past as well, there was an acting chief secretary for eight months. Similarly, the CM appointed an acting DGP, Thakur said. PTI BPL DIV DIV