Gandhinagar: Gujarat’s Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Raj Kumar will be the new Chief Secretary of the State. The 1987 batch officer will replace Pankaj Kumar whose extension is scheduled to end on January 31.
The General Administration Department (GAD) of the Gujarat Government issued a notification on Wednesday to this effect. The State Government has also directed that Raj Kumar will officiate as the Officer on Special Duty in the Chief Secretary’s office until January 31.
Raj Kumar, who was on a deputation to New Delhi, was repatriated to Gujarat two years ago amid speculations that he would be made the chief secretary immediately. He is from Uttar Pradesh and also studied electrical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur.
Considered a straightforward bureaucrat with a clean reputation, Raj Kumar also held the additional charge of the key Industries and Mines Department besides the sensitive home portfolio. Pankaj Kumar, who retired in May 2022, was given an extension of eight months by the government. He was appointed as the Chief Secretary in September 2021.
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