Thiruvananthapuram | The Kerala government on Wednesday approved a series of administrative appointments and relief measures, appointing a new chief secretary and sanctioning financial assistance for families affected by recent tragedies.
The state Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister V D Satheesan, decided to appoint Bishwanath Sinha, a 1992-batch IAS officer, as Kerala's next Chief Secretary, according to a CMO release issued here.
Sinha will take over after incumbent Chief Secretary A Jayathilak retires on June 30.
He has been serving as additional chief secretary in the Home Department since June 28, 2023.
During a career spanning more than three decades, Sinha has held several key positions in the state and central governments, serving as principal secretary, joint secretary and resident commissioner.
The government also decided to recommend the appointment of retired district judge N Seshadrinath as the State Election Commissioner and approved the appointment of N Anilkumar as Special Government Pleader for the Lokayukta.
In addition, the Cabinet cleared the appointment of four Special Government Pleaders, 12 Senior Government Pleaders and 24 Government Pleaders for the Kerala High Court.
As part of its relief measures, the Cabinet sanctioned Rs 5 lakh each from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund for the families of three Kudumbashree workers from Kerala who died after a wall collapsed at the Shivajinagar Hospital building in Bengaluru in April.
It approved financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of the three people killed in a road accident at Neeleswaram in Kottarakkara, and decided that the government would bear the treatment expenses of those injured in the accident.
