Mansa, which was once a tehsil of the Bathinda district and was accorded the district status on April 13, 1992, has become the only district among the 20 districts of Punjab where a Punjab Civil Services (PCS) officer has been posted as the Deputy Commissioner.
All the former Deputy Commissioners of Mansa were from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). The PCS officers were posted as Deputy Commissioners of various districts of Punjab for a short period immediately after the independence and again when Punjab was re-organ
Besides, Mansa seems to have become the only district in Punjab where only three PCS officers will manage its affairs. Apart from the newly posted Deputy Commissioner Ravinder Singh, the other two PCS officers, Rajesh Tripathi and Nachhattar Singh Brar, are posted as SDM (Budhlada) and SDM (Mansa), respectively.
While Tripathi has been given the additional charge of Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) and General Assistant to the Deputy Commissioner, Brar has been given additional charge of SDM (Sardulgarh) and District Transport Officer (DTO Mansa).
Mansa has earned a name for itself in the administrative circles of Punjab for witnessing frequent transfers of its Deputy Commissioners. In the past 19 years, ever since it became a district, Ravinder Singh will be its 20th Deputy Commissioner.
Mansa was elevated to district by former Chief Minister of Punjab Beant Singh for initiating an era of development in the most backward part of Punjab, which was once known as Asia's wettest place due to the consumption of liquor by its people in huge quantity.
Immediately after becoming the Congress Chief Minister, when Punjab was in the thick of militancy, Beant Singh decided to initiate a number of development projects in the district, which was devoid of infrastructure, health, education and transportation facilities at that time.
However, the frequent transfer of Deputy Commissioners, mainly due to political reasons, stunted the growth of the district, where drug addiction has also acquired alarming proportions due to lack of employment opportunities.
A cross-section of the residents of the district said they had not been benefitted in any aspect after Mansa was elevated to district status because the successive state government have denied even basic amenities to them.
