Madhya Pradesh Forest Department faces major reshuffle in 2027
The return of two senior IFS officers and upcoming retirements could trigger changes at the PCCF level.
The Madhya Pradesh Forest Department is expected to undergo a significant administrative reshuffle in 2027, according to NorthBlockSouthBlock. The changes are anticipated as two senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers, Kanchan Devi and Prakash Unhale, prepare to return to their parent cadre after completing their deputations.
Kanchan Devi, a 1991-batch officer currently serving as Director General of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) in Dehradun, is expected to return to Madhya Pradesh in January 2027. Prakash Unhale, a 1996-batch officer serving as Additional Resident Commissioner at Madhya Pradesh Bhawan in New Delhi, is likely to return to Bhopal in February 2027.
The reshuffle may be influenced by the scheduled retirements of two senior officers. Vibhash Thakur, currently Chief Executive Officer of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Good Governance, is set to retire at the end of January 2027, while Bindu Sharma, PCCF (Administration-1), is due to retire in July 2027.
The department currently has 10 PCCF-level positions, including five core-cadre and five non-cadre posts. Two non-cadre positions are reportedly vacant due to a lack of eligible officers. Additionally, 1997-batch IFS officers are expected to complete the 30 years of service required for PCCF promotion in June 2027.
Mohan Meena, a 1994-batch officer serving as APCCF (Monitoring), is reportedly facing two departmental inquiries, though the status and implications of these inquiries have not been specified.