Patna, Sep 30 (IANS) Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Deepak Kumar has been relieved of his responsibilities as the Principal Secretary to the Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and appointed Vice-Chairman of the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA) on Wednesday.
A 1984-batch IAS officer, Kumar had served as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister for around five-and-a-half years.
He retired from government service on March 20, 2021, and was entrusted with the responsibility of Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister the following day, on March 21.
Despite his retirement, Kumar continued to play a significant role in the functioning of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), where the Principal Secretary’s position involves coordination between the CMO and various departments of the state government.
Kumar has now been appointed Vice-Chairman of the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority.
The position had fallen vacant following the completion of the tenure of Uday Kant Mishra, who had previously served as Vice-Chairman.
The appointment comes as Bihar continues to face recurring challenges related to floods, heavy rainfall and other natural disasters.
The BSDMA is responsible for strengthening disaster preparedness, coordinating with government departments and supporting mitigation, response and relief measures.
Kumar has held several important assignments during his long administrative career.
He has served as District Magistrate in around 13 districts, including Buxar, Nalanda, Hazaribagh and Motihari.
At the state level, Kumar has worked in several key departments, including Health, Urban Development, General Administration, Cabinet, Tourism, and Information and Public Relations.
These assignments gave him experience in both field administration and policy-level decision-making.
His career also includes significant assignments during central deputation.
He served as Director General of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) and as Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Kumar’s new assignment places him at the head of an institution that plays an important role in Bihar’s disaster-management framework.
The authority works on disaster preparedness, risk reduction, inter-departmental coordination, relief planning and response mechanisms during floods, droughts, cyclones, heavy rainfall and other emergencies.
Flood management remains particularly important in Bihar, where several districts face recurring inundation during the monsoon.
Monitoring river levels, strengthening embankments, preparing relief camps and ensuring timely delivery of assistance are among the administration’s continuing priorities.
–IANS
ajk/khz