Be Punctual, Inform CM, Ministers, and Chief Secretary When Traveling: Sanjay Gupta’s Directives to Himachal’s Top Officials

After taking additional charge as Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh, Sanjay Gupta on Friday tightened administrative protocols, stressing financial prudence and discipline as his top priorities.

Gupta directed administrative secretaries and directors to report to office on time and to inform the Chief Minister, concerned ministers, and the Chief Secretary before traveling out of town. “The Chief Minister has also instructed that files must be disposed of quickly. He has asked me to review the situation in 15 days or a month and report if work is not progressing. I will personally set an example for my colleagues,” Gupta said.

On the state’s financial position, Gupta admitted Himachal is currently facing a fiscal crunch. “We will have to endure financial stress for the next five to six months and adjust our functioning accordingly. However, the following two years will be financially favorable for the state,” he noted.

The Acting Chief Secretary underlined his focus on curbing wasteful expenditure. Drawing on his experience as Chairman of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited, he remarked: “If we can eliminate waste in government systems, it will help reduce the deficit. An institution like the Electricity Board should never have gone into loss, but poor management killed the golden goose. Power utilities should not suffer losses. At the Board, we turned things around and earned ₹500 crore in 15 months — not by doing anything extraordinary, but simply by cutting waste.”