SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has posted Saloni Rai, IAS (AGMUT 2016) as Director, Industries and Commerce, Kashmir. She was a collector in Diu before being deputed to Kashmir.
Mehmood Ahmad Shah, who was holding the position, has been transferred back to the handicrafts department, replacing Tariq Ahmad Zargar. The latter will wait till GAD orders his adjustment.
Recently five IAS officers were deputed by the government in Jammu and Kashmir. These include Ms Saloni Rai and her husband Dr Rakesh Minhas, both 2016 batch officers of the AGMUT cadre, who were posted in Daman and Diu. Others include Sanjiv M Gadkar, and Yatindra Maralkar, both from Goa.
Reports appearing in the media said that some more officers are being deployed in Jammu and Kashmir because there is a shortage of officers. Jammu and Kashmir has a sanctioned strength of 65 senior duty posts of AGMUT to Jammu and Kashmir in Indian Administrative Services, 70 in Indian Police Services and 58 in Indian Forest Services.
Ms Rai is from Sonepat in Punjab. A commerce graduate from Sriram College of Commerce, Delhi, she figured at 22nd rank in the civil services examinations in 2016. She has strong social media handles.
