In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the state government on Tuesday transferred and posted as many as 17 IAS officers, including officials who held key positions in important departments such as agriculture, mines and information technology.

The reshuffle, notified by the state government on Tuesday evening, has also led to shifting of deputy commissioners in at least 15 districts at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has forced life off track in all cities across Jharkhand. Deputy commissioners have so far played a pivotal role in controlling the spread of the virus in districts.

K.Srinivasan, was made the secretary of mines and geology department, while special secretary of the agriculture and animal husbandry department Rajesh Kumar Pathak was made deputy commissioner of Garhwa.

Director of animal husbandry department Chittaranjan Kumar was made deputy commissioner of Sahebganj, while joint election commissioner Dilip Toppo was made the deputy commissioner of Lohardaga.

Tribal welfare commissioner Shishir Kumar Sinha has been transferred and posted as Gumla deputy commissioner. Special secretary of higher, technical education and skill development department Rajesh Singh has been made Bokaro deputy commissioner, while Municipal Commissioner of Hazaribagh Kamleshwar Prasad Singh has been posted as Deoghar deputy commissioner.

Project director Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) Umashankar Singh is now the deputy commissioner of Dhanbad, and director of agriculture Chhavi Ranjan has been transferred and posted as the new deputy commissioner of Ranchi.

Khunti deputy commissioner Suraj Kumar was made the deputy commissioner of East Singhbhum, while Gumla deputy commissioner Shahi Ranjan was transferred to Palamau in the same capacity.

Joint secretary of planning and finance department Divyanshu Jha is now Chatra deputy commissioner, while director of higher education Sushant Gaurav has been made Simdega deputy commissioner. Transport commissioner Faiz Aque Ahmed has been made Jamtara deputy commissioner, while commercial taxes commissioner Bhor Singh Yadav has been made Godda deputy commissioner. Also, IG (prisons) Shashi Ranjan has been made Khunti deputy commissioner.

A 2002 batch IAS officer Manish Ranjan, who was waiting for a posting, was made the commissioner of Kolhan division, while Rajesh Kumar Sharma was made secretary of the information technology and e-governance department.