RD Dhiman replaces Ram Subhag as chief secretary to Himachal Pradesh government

Shimla, July 14

The Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday replaced chief secretary Ram Subhag Singh and appointed a 1988 batch IAS officer RD Dhiman, additional chief secretary (Power and Industry) to the top post.

There had been speculation for the past some time about Subhag being removed, which got further credence when he applied for the vacant lying post of chief information commissioner (CIC) on July 11. Subhag, a 1987 batch officer will superannuate in July 2023, which means he still has one year of service.

Incidentally, Subhag is the fifth chief secretary during the present BJP regime who could not complete their tenure. The others who could not complete their term for various reasons include VC Pharka, Vineet Chawdhary, BK Aggarwal and Anil Khachi.

Subhag’s successor, Dhiman is due to retire in December this year and as such his tenure as chief secretary will coincide with the Jai Ram government. Dhiman too had applied for the post of CIC but with the recent sudden developments, he got elevated to the top post.

Government chose to make Dhiman, an officer with high integrity and vast experience as chief secretary despite there being three other officers senior to him. It is Nisha Singh, wife of Subhag who is the senior most officer in the State after her husband and also belongs to the 1987 batch. Next in the seniority are Ali Raza Rizvi, presently serving as secretary, heavy industries in the centre and Sanjay Gupta, an ACS level officer posted here. Both belong to the 1988 batch. Nisha Singh and Rizvi will retire in 2024, while Gupta will superannuate in 2026.

Subhag had been appointed chief secretary in a sudden development on August 5, 2021 while the monsoon session of the assembly was on. He replaced Anil Khachi, a 1986 batch IAS officer who was appointed state election commissioner, two years before his retirement.