KHULLAR RULES THE ROOST AGAIN: HARYANA CMO RESHUFFLES WORK AMONG TOP BUREAUCRATS
In the latest redistribution of departments in CM Nayab Saini’s office, retired IAS officer Rajesh Khullar retains his grip with 18 key portfolios; IAS officer Ajay Kumar replaces Saket Kumar in a significant change at the top
CHANDIGARH — April 17, 2026
In yet another signal of where real power resides in the Haryana government, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has ordered a fresh redistribution of departmental work among senior officers in his Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), with veteran bureaucrat and Chief Principal Secretary Sh. Rajesh Khullar (IAS, Retd.) once again emerging as the dominant force — this time with 18 departments under his charge.
The order, issued from the office of the CPSCM and dated 16 April 2026, formalises a significant reshuffle that also sees IAS officer Sh. Ajay Kumar stepping in as Deputy Principal Secretary to CM-II (DPSCM-II), replacing the earlier incumbent Saket Kumar in that critical position.
KHULLAR: THE PERMANENT POWER CENTRE
For those who have tracked Haryana’s bureaucratic corridors over the past decade, Khullar’s pre-eminence comes as no surprise. A retired IAS officer and a key power centre in Haryana’s bureaucracy, Khullar has been a trusted aide to both former CM Manohar Lal Khattar — now a Union Minister — and Saini.
Khullar had been entrusted with 21 key departments when Saini returned to power following the October 2024 Assembly elections, and even after a June 2025 trimming of his load, he had been assigned 16 departments — the maximum among all officers — underscoring his continued influence in the Saini administration.
The new order, as seen in the internal distribution document accessed by this reporter, takes that figure up to 18 departments, re-consolidating Khullar’s authority. His vast portfolio spans the full sweep of governance: Administration of Justice, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ayush, Energy, Excise and Taxation, Finance, Institutional Finance and Credit Control and Planning, General Administration Personnel and Training, Hospitality and Vigilance, Health, Home, Industries and Commerce, Information Public Relations Languages and Culture, Irrigation and Water Resources, Medical Education and Research, Parliamentary Affairs Law and Legislative, Raj Bhawan Affairs, Revenue and Disaster Management, and Town and Country Planning and Urban Estates. He also retains overall charge of the CM’s Office, including CM’s establishment, all legislative business, issuance of Ordinances, and any subject not allocated to another officer.
Colleagues describe Khullar as efficient, with a knack for navigating complex files swiftly. His career highlights include his stint as Executive Director at the World Bank from 2020 to 2023, where he represented India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.
AJAY KUMAR MOVES IN, SAKET KUMAR MOVES OUT
The most notable personnel change in this reshuffle is the replacement of Saket Kumar with Sh. Ajay Kumar, IAS as DPSCM-II. Ajay Kumar has been assigned a significant cluster of portfolios including Co-operation, Elections, Fisheries, Foreign Cooperation, Housing for All, Sainik and Ardh Sainik Welfare, Women and Child Development, and oversight of the Kurukshetra Development Board. He will also be responsible for monitoring Budget Announcements, Incomplete Projects, and the performance of various departments under the CM Window — a critical accountability function that goes to the heart of the Saini government’s delivery agenda.
THE FULL CMO STRUCTURE
The new distribution places Sh. Arun Kumar Gupta, IAS as Principal Secretary to CM (PSCM), handling Civil Aviation, CRID, Environment Forests and Wildlife, Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Jails, Mines and Geology, Public Works, Social Justice Empowerment SCs and BCs Welfare and Antyodaya (SEWA), Transport, and Urban Local Bodies. He also oversees works related to implementation of CM Announcements.
Sh. Yash Pal, IAS serves as DPSCM-I, managing Architecture, Archives, Development and Panchayats, Heritage and Tourism, Labour, Printing and Stationery, Public Health Engineering, School Education, Sports, and the Saraswati Heritage Board.
Sh. Raj Nehru continues as OSD/CM, responsible for the Department of Future, Higher Education, Youth Empowerment, and Entrepreneurship.
On the OSD side, Sh. Vivek Kalia (HCS) handles CM Window and Jan Samvad; Sh. Sudhanshu Gautam (HCS) oversees allotment of government houses, CM Relief Fund, HRDF and other sanctions, HRMS and Online Transfer Policy, and Wakf Board; while Sh. Rakesh Sandhu (HCS) manages CM Window and Grievances. Sh. Narender Pal Malik (HCS) handles CM Announcements.
