New chief secretary Manoj Agarwal pushes for rule-based governance
The Statesman | 13 May 2026
West Bengal’s newly appointed chief secretary Manoj Agarwal issued a strong message to the state bureaucracy and asked all the bureaucrats to return to professional and rule-based administration assuring that administration would work independently free from “political interference.”
Addressing secretaries of all state departments in his first high-level meeting at Nabanna after assuming office on Tuesday, the 1990-batch IAS officer stressed that officials must work with integrity and confidence.
“Work with your spine straight. If you work honestly, there is no need to bend,” Agarwal told the officers, reminding them of their constitutional responsibilities as IAS officers.
Soon after taking charge from his previous role as the state’s Chief Electoral Officer, Agarwal instructed departments to expedite implementation of several Central government schemes that had remained stalled in the state.
Sources present in the meeting said that Agarwal has directed all departments to prepare plans for executing promises mentioned in the BJP’s “Sankalp Patra.”
The administrative push came a day after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari issued stern instructions to district administrations on law enforcement and corruption control.
The chief minister on the very first day at the state secretariat had asked all district magistrates and superintendents of police to ensure that cattle smuggling is stopped across borders and highways.
He also asked the state administration to adopt “zero tolerance” approach against coal and sand smuggling.
The Chief Minister also warned against syndicate operations and extortion in the real estate sector.
District officials have been directed to prevent encroachment on government land and take immediate action against illegal constructions.
Additionally, after newly-elected MLAs take oath, district magistrates have been asked to hold meetings with legislators and panchayat representatives to restart pending development works.
Political observers believe the new government has begun a broader effort to depoliticise the bureaucracy and restore administrative accountability.
Agarwal’s emphasis on officials maintaining their “spine straight,” coupled with the Chief Minister’s repeated calls for a corruption-free administration, is being seen as an indirect warning to sections of the bureaucracy associated with the previous regime.
Notably, during the recently-concluded Assembly elections, Manoj Agarwal served as the state’s Chief Electoral Officer.
Administrative circles had speculated that experienced bureaucrats such as Agarwal and retired IAS officer Subrata Gupta could be brought back to key positions if there was a change in power, largely due to their role in overseeing what many described as one of Bengal’s fairest elections in years.