Patna: In a bureaucratic shake-up, Bihar govt has moved veteran retired bureaucrat Deepak Kumar out of Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), nominating him as the vice-chairperson of Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA). According to an official notification issued on Wednesday, the 1984-batch retired IAS officer, in his position as the vice-chairperson, will enjoy the status of a cabinet minister from the date he assumes charge in BSDMA.Kumar’s exit from CMO marks the end of an era in state administration. Known as one of the most trusted aides of former CM Nitish Kumar, he had served as the principal secretary-cum-adviser to the CM for over five years. Following his formal retirement from active service on Feb 28, 2021, he was immediately re-engaged the next day to continue steering administrative coordination from CMO.Kumar, who took over the charge as Bihar’s chief secretary on May 31, 2018, was earlier scheduled to retire on Feb 29, 2020, after completion of 60 years of age. But he was given two successive service extensions of six months by the Centre at the request of Bihar govt. Resultantly, he retired as the chief secretary on Feb 28, 2021, after completing 61 years of age.Remarkably, Kumar retained his powerful position even after a recent political transition where Nitish relinquished his post and Samrat Choudhary took over as the new CM of Bihar. However, as the Samrat Choudhary-led administration is aggressively restructuring its core team, this reassignment marks the departure of the last major Nitish-era loyalist from CMO.The new assignment brings immense responsibility to Kumar, as Bihar frequently encounters severe environmental challenges like recurring floods and heavy rainfall. Armed with decades of experience—having served as a district magistrate across 13 districts and heading key state departments like health and urban development—Kumar is expected to aggressively strengthen the state’s disaster response and mitigation strategies.
