MHA rechristens Ladakh Advisor’s post as CS

Kargil , Jan 8: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has created the post of Chief Secretary (CS) in Ladakh and abolished the post of Advisor to the UT Lieutenant Governor.

So far, the post of advisor has been filled from the AGMUT cadre of IAS officers. The post is held by Dr Pawan Kotwal at present who will be the first Chief Secretary of Ladakh union territory. The ministry of personnel through a gazette notification has put the post of Chief Secretary at the top of Ladakh’s bureaucratic hierarchy and abolished the post of UT Advisor, said a UT official.

“ It is the post allocation by MHA to all the states and UTs under AGMUT Cadre,” officials said. After this significant development, the senior IAS officer (AGMUT-1994) Dr Pawan Kotwal, who holds the post of Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Ladakh will be the first Chief Secretary of Ladakh UT. Dr Kotwal assumed office as the Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor, UT Ladakh in June 2023.

Dr Kotwal brings a wealth of experience and expertise, having previously served as the Principal Secretary for Health and Medical Education, Forest, Ecology and Environment, and Revenue, Planning and Monitoring Department in UT Ladakh.

During his tenure as Principal Secretary, Dr Kotwal played a pivotal role in implementing crucial reforms and initiatives in the health and medical education sector. The move by the Ministry of Home Affairs to establish the post of Chief Secretary in Ladakh seen as a pivotal development in the Union Territory’s administrative structure. Officials said that in any state or Union Territory, the Chief Secretary is the highest-ranking civil servant, responsible for coordinating the entire administrative machinery. By contrast, the role of an Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor is less comprehensive, with responsibilities primarily revolving around providing advice to the LG and assisting in specific tasks, rather than managing the entire administration.