Chief minister Nitish Kumar has once again fallen back on his trusted bureaucrats to take care of departments that have been deprived of ministers since the NDA split.

Deepak Kumar, who was appointed as officer on special duty (OSD) in the chief minister secretariat on August 27, has been made principal secretary of the health department.

Considered close to the chief minister, Deepak has been given new assignment as the department is going without a minister for about a-month-and-a-half. The post of the minister fell vacant after the break up in the BJP-JD (U) alliance on June 16. Earlier, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, a BJP leader, was the health minister.

Deepak, however, would continue to discharge his duty as OSD in the CM secretariat.

Health department’s principal secretary Vyasji has been shifted to the revenue and land reforms department in the same capacity. However, Vyasji, a 1982-batch officer, would continue to hold the additional charge of principal secretary of the disaster management department and director of land consolidation.

Science and technology department’s principal secretary Amita Paul has been transferred and made advisor of Bihar state planning board. Paul, a 1980-batch officer, was earlier given additional charge of revenue board.

Revenue and land reforms department’s principal secretary C. Ashok Vardhan has been shifted and made chairman-cum-member of revenue board. Vardhan, a 1980-batch officer, would take up the new assignment after the superannuation of 1976-batch officer V.K. Verma, who is due to retire on August 31.

Similarly, water resources department’s principal secretary Arun Kumar Singh has been given additional charge of regional development commissioner-cum-chairman of Sone Command Area Development Authority. The order would come into effect after the retirement of 1978-batch officer U.K. Nanda. Nanda is due to retire on August 31.

Following the acrimonious split with the BJP, Nitish seems to have formed a ring of bureaucrats around him to govern the state.