Shimla, June 2 -- The Himachal Pradesh government on Monday entrusted senior IAS officer Kamlesh Kumar Pant with the additional charge of chief secretary with immediate effect. Pant, a 1993-batch officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, is currently the senior-most bureaucrat in the state. He succeeds Sanjay Gupta, who had been serving as the acting chief secretary since October last year before being formally appointed as the regular chief secretary just five days prior to his superannuation on May 31. According to an official notification issued by the department of personnel, governor Kavinder Gupta ordered the appointment. "Kamlesh Kumar Pant, additional chief secretary (revenue)-cum-financial commissioner (revenue), additional chief secretary (forest, home and vigilance) and chairman, Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board, Shimla, shall hold the additional charge of the post of chief secretary to the Government of Himachal Pradesh, with immediate effect, in addition to his own duties," the notification stated. Pant will continue to oversee his existing high-profile portfolios alongside his new responsibility as the state's top bureaucrat. Strengthening of the early warning system in the state takes priority for Pant. While speaking to HT on Monday, Pant said, "We are working rapidly towards strengthening the early warning system in the state. Equipment, sensors and information networks for advance warning of disasters are being developed so that information about potential threats can reach the public and the administration in time." "Over the last few years, Himachal has suffered extensive damage during the monsoon. Keeping this in mind, the government and administration are fully prepared this year as well," he said. "Pre-monsoon meetings are being organised and a detailed disaster management action plan has already been prepared. Our effort will be to implement this plan effectively so that losses caused by natural disasters can be minimised," he said. He noted that continuous work had been undertaken in the field of disaster management over the past year and stronger coordination had been established among various departments. Pant who hails from Uttrakhand is currently serving as the additional chief secretary in the forest department of Himachal Pradesh since August 20, 2024. He is the senior-most bureaucrat in the state. Pant, an engineering graduate who takes over at a time when the state is facing fiscal challenges, added that his foremost priority would be the effective implementation of the state government's welfare schemes, programmes and the chief minister's key initiatives to ensure their benefits reach people in a timely manner. "The priority will be to ensure that all welfare schemes, programmes and the CM's key initiatives are implemented effectively so that their benefits reach the common man on time. We will also work towards making the administration more accessible and simple so that people's problems and requirements can be addressed in a time-bound manner," Pant said. "The government is continuously preparing schemes and programmes in different sectors. The responsibility of the administration is to translate them effectively on the ground. Providing better services to the people is the administration's biggest responsibility," he added. The state government has been filling up the top bureaucratic posts by giving additional charge instead of regular appointment. Former chief secretary Sanjay Gupta was also initially appointed as the acting chief secretary in October 2025. He was elevated to the position of regular chief secretary just five days prior to his retirement. Currently, the director general of police (DGP) in the state also holds an acting charge. Former chief minister and leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur raised questions on the appointment of acting chief secretary and termed the move as "mockery". Thakur in his statement issued on Monday, said, "Why, ultimately, has such a deep sense of insecurity and mistrust taken root within the chief minister? Why is he shying away from appointing a permanent chief secretary for the state? Why is he making a mockery of the administrative system in the name of "Vyavastha Parivartan"? "The earlier CS was also kept in an 'acting' capacity for eight months, only to grant him a permanent appointment just four days prior to his retirement. Similarly, in the case of a DG-level officer, the CM appointed him as the acting DGP-sending the incumbent acting DGP on leave-merely a few days before the officer's own scheduled retirement," said Thakur....