In a slew of transfers of senior IAS officials, the Government of Maharashtra and Government of Gujarat have appointed new tourism heads.
The Maharashtra Government has appointed Valsa Nair-Singh as Secretary – Tourism, while Jagdish Patil, who till now headed Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), has been posted as Director General Information and Public Relations. A 1991 batch IAS Officer, Singh was appointed to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
In another crucial move, the Gujarat Government has appointed Sonal Mishra as Secretary to government (Tourism, Devasthanam Management and Pilgrimage) under the Industries and Mines Department. Vipul Mittra who held this post earlier and ran the much-hyped “Khushboo Gujarat Ki” campaign with Bollywood star Amitabh Bacchan has been appointed as the Director General of Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA) at Ahmedabad. Prior to this, Mishra held the position of Commissioner of Employment and Training and ex-officio MD of Gujarat Skill Development Mission.
