PATNA, April 29 -- Jai Singh, a 2007 batch officer of the Indian administrative service (IAS), has been given the full-fledged charge of the revenue and land reforms department in place of its principal secretary CK Anil (a 1991-batch officer) on Tuesday in a reshuffle of administrative posts in the state. According to a notification issued by the general administrative department (GAD), Anil has been shifted to the planning board as its advisor. Jai Singh, who was working as one of the two secretaries under Anil in the department, has been asked to take over as new administrative head of the department with immediate effect. It is said that the chief minister Samrat Choudhary was not happy with Anil's way of handling the department, which led to prolonged strike by circle officers (COs), revenue officers (ROs) and field-level staff. As a result, functioning of the department has come to a standstill for more than a month due to the strike. A section of the officials also viewed the transfer as a fallout of an apparent face-off between CM Choudhary and former deputy CM and BJP stalwart Vijay Kumar Sinha. In related orders, the GAD transferred 2007-batch IAS officer Gopal Meena, who was secretary in the revenue and land reforms department, and posted him as secretary to the governor at Raj Bhavan, until further orders. Robert L. Chongthu (1997 batch), who was posted as principal secretary to the governor, has been moved to the minority welfare department in the same capacity. In another important shift, Mohd Sohail (2007 batch), who was secretary in the minority welfare department, has been transferred and posted as secretary in the GAD. Both Gopal Meena and Mohd Sohail will continue to hold their additional charges in the GAD as before. The notification also ordered the transfer of 2013-batch IAS officer Shailendra Kumar, who was special secretary in the agriculture department as the new district magistrate and collector of Lakhisarai. Separately, the government has relieved two senior IAS officers for central deputation with effect from May 1. Anupam Kumar, secretary of the information and public relations department and a former secretary to ex-chief minister Nitish Kumar, has been posted as joint secretary in the Central ministry of new and renewable energy (MoNRE), New Delhi. Bandana Preyashi (2003 batch), secretary of the social welfare department, has been deputed as joint secretary in the department of chemicals and fertilisers, New Delhi. Both officers are expected to take up their new assignments in the first week of May. The GAD has also appointed a 2010-batch IAS officer - currently one of the secretaries to the CM and holding charge of the disaster management department - as the new secretary of the IPRD. These transfers reflect a wider effort by the state government to reorganise key departments and fill important positions both within Bihar and on central deputation....