‘Straight trees are always cut first’: Haryana cadre IAS officer Ashok Khemka over appointment of his batchmates as secretaries

New Delhi, October 20

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“Straight trees are always cut first,” said senior bureaucrat Ashok Khemka while reacting to appointments of some of his batchmates as secretaries in different Central government departments.

Khemka, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1991 batch, is currently serving as Principal Secretary (Additional Secretary level) in his cadre state Haryana.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Wednesday approved the appointment of 16 senior bureaucrats, including his batchmates, as secretaries in various Central government departments.

“Congratulations to my batchmates newly appointed as Secretaries to GOI! While this is an occasion for merry, it brings an equal measure of despondency for one’s own self having been left behind. Straight trees are always cut first. No regrets. With renewed resolve, I shall persist,” Khemka tweeted.

Manoj Govil, a 1991-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Khemka’s another batchmate Shailesh Kumar Singh from the Jharkhand cadre has been named as Rural Development Secretary in Wednesday’s reshuffle.

Similarly, Sudhansh Pant (also a 1991 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre) has been appointed as Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways after incumbent Sanjeev Ranjan superannuates on January 31, 2023.

There are also some other officers of the 1991 batch who have been appointed as secretaries in central government departments.