Thiruvananthapuram: The en masse transfers effected by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) dispensation in the Secretariat is certain to affect the administrative functioning in the corridors of power, especially with a host of débutantes at the helm of key ministries.
The government transferred 93 under secretaries via an order issued on June 13. This includes 28 postings, which were inevitable due to promotions. There are 120 sanctioned posts of under-secretaries in the secretariat.
Including this 93, around 300 transfers have been effected, including deputy secretaries, joint secretaries, additional secretaries and special secretaries.
Also, 23 secretaries to the government, which are IAS cadre postings, have also been given charge of new departments, further complicating matters.
Though such transfers are normal during a change of guard, the huge number of transfers have rattled secretariat employees.
This would definitely affect the administrative functioning with a large number of ministers also being first timers, a key official who did not want to be identified told Onmanorama.
Thirteen of the 19 ministers in the LDF government are first timers.
Normally, such changes are not made at one go and instead effected over a span of six months so as not to disrupt the administrative functioning, another top official said.
As most of the officials would be new to their departments, they would take time to study the files before taking decisions. That would delay decision making as majority of ministers are also first timers, another official said.
All four CPI ministers are debutants. From the CPM, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, finance minister Thomas Issac, PWD minister G.Sudhakaran and scheduled tribes welfare minister A.K. Balan had been ministers earlier.
But apart from Thomas Issac, those who have been ministers earlier are not holding the portfolios they held previously.
From other allies, water resources minister Mathew T. Thomas of JD (S) and ports minister Kadanapalli Ramachandran of Congress (S) had been ministers earlier.
