Meet IAS officer, who was given 57 postings in 33 years, known for his…, set to retire on…

New Delhi: Senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka has been entrusted with a significant department just five months ahead of his retirement. Over his illustrious 33-year career, Khemka has been transferred 57 times. Renowned for his integrity and dedication, he has held numerous key positions in the administration.

On Sunday, the 1991-batch officer was appointed as ACS for the transport department, taking over from 1994-batch IPS officer Navdeep Vrik. Khemka retires on April 30, 2025. Khemka had earlier served as additional chief secretary in the printing and stationery department.

Ashok Khemka has been reassigned to the transport department, now under the supervision of Minister Anil Vij, nearly a decade after serving as transport commissioner during the first term of the BJP government led by Manohar Lal Khattar.

Notably, Khemka had served only four months in the transport department at that time. During his tenure as the transport commissioner, he had declined to issue fitness certificates for oversized trucks and trailers carrying automobiles and white goods, resulting in a truckers’ strike in January.

The strike by truckers in the state was called off after the government gave them a one-year deadline to modify their vehicles in line with the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR), 1989.

“Tried hard to address corruption and bring reforms in Transport despite severe limitations and entrenched interests. Moment is truly painful,” Khemka had then said in a tweet 10 years ago, after he was moved to archaeology and museums department by the then state government.

In the letter dated January 23, 2023, Khemka wrote “lopsided distribution of work does not serve public interest”.

He had offered his services to head the Vigilance Bureau “to root out corruption” and mentioned that he has always been at the forefront in the fight against graft and vigilance is the main arm of the government to root out corruption.

“Towards the end of my service career, I offer my services to head the vigilance department to root out corruption. “If given an opportunity, I assure you there would be real war against corruption and no one however high and mighty will be spared,” the IAS officer had written.

During the past 12 years, Khemka has been posted in departments, considered ‘low profile’. Over his entire career, on an average, he has been transferred about every six months. Earlier, he had been posted to the Archives department for the fourth time — three of these stints have been during the tenure of the BJP-led government.

He earlier served as director general and later principal secretary of the Archives department. He was first transferred to the department in 2013 when the Congress was in power.