CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government on Tuesday appointed senior IAS officer Sanjeev Kaushal as the state’s new chief secretary. Kaushal replaces Vijai Vardhan, who retired on September 30, a government order said.
He will be the 35th chief secretary of Haryana since it was carved out as a separate state in 1966.
The 1986-batch IAS officer will also hold the charge of general administration, personnel, training, parliamentary affairs, vigilance and administrative reforms departments and secretary in-charge of plan coordination, the order said.
Kaushal is due to retire in July 2024.
Before his appointment as chief secretary, Kaushal was Additional Chief Secretary, Haryana government, and Financial Commissioner, Revenue & Disaster Management & Consolidation Departments.
The Haryana government also effected transfer of P K Das, Additional Chief Secretary, Power Department, who has been posted as ACS to Haryana government, Financial Commissioner, Revenue & Disaster Management and Consolidation Departments.
Kaushal’s brother Sarvesh Kaushal had earlier served as Chief Secretary, Punjab Government.
Kaushal was the senior most officer after Vardhan and had been a frontrunner for the top post.
In the first term of the BJP government in the state, Kaushal had also been Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister M L Khattar.
Kaushal has the experience of working with two State Governments, Government of India (as Joint Secretary), two large Public Sector Undertakings (as Managing Director), the largest Municipal Corporation of Haryana (as the Chief Administrator of Faridabad Complex with the responsibilities of the Mayor & Commissioner both), an official statement said.
Immediately after joining IAS, Kaushal was posted as Assistant Collector (Training), Madurai (Tamil Nadu) in 1987-88.
He was also Sub Collector, Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) 1988-90.
Kaushal remained Deputy Commissioner, Yamunanagar, 1994-96.
He remained Private Secretary to the Union Minister of State for Power, New Delhi, 2003-04 and Joint Secretary to GOI & Additional Development Commissioner, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, GOI, 2007- 2008.
Source: Press Trust of India
