Bhopal: Senior IAS officer Rajesh Rajora has emerged as an important member of the Chief Minister’s Office in Madhya Pradesh, with several new responsibilities that appear to indicate his rising stock with the state government.
On 22 June, CM Mohan Yadav entrusted the 1990 batch IAS officer to oversee 15 tasks, including work related to his announcements, policy issues, cabinet and ministerial work along with co-ordination with PMO, central ministers and other chief ministers. Rajora was assigned these tasks as part of order for work distribution amongst the bureaucrats heading the CMO.
This decision came close on the heels of Rajora becoming elevated as the additional chief secretary (ACS) to the Madhya Pradesh chief minister. The boost in Rajora’s profile comes about three months before chief secretary Veera Rana’s tenure comes to an end on 30 September.
He is also tasked with overseeing the work during CM’s visits to Delhi, monitoring of all major projects of the state, commissioner-collector conference work, appointment to government and non-governmental posts and given charges of all other departments of the state for which an officer is yet to be posted.
These responsibilities are in addition to his role as vice-chairperson of the Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA).
His fellow colleagues describe Rajora, who hails from Neemuch district in the Malwa region, as a very efficient officer.
“He is a hard worker, good with prioritising the work which is most important for the government and wouldn’t stop until its achieved. He is also one of the finest officers when it comes to drafting works, or whether it is justifying a decision on the paper, or preparing a speech that the CM has to make before the House or in any forum. He is very efficient,” said a senior bureaucrat.
Rajora has served as a collector in districts such as Jhabua, Dhar, and Balaghat before being shifted to Ujjain (2003-04) and Indore (2004-05) in the same role.
Amongst other duties, CM Mohan Yadav also tasked Rajora to coordinate the administrative work of the two most important divisions of Indore and Ujjain in the state.
After extensively working in the field, Rajora was elevated as the managing director in the animal husbandry department and served as the commissioner of various departments including health.
“Rajora was the collector of Ujjain when the Simhasth was held under the then Uma Bharti government in 2004. With Simhasth scheduled in 2028, Rajora’s previous experience will come in handy for the government,” another bureaucrat said.
In a bid to prepare for the Simhasth, the government on Wednesday made an allocation of Rs 500 crore and proposed works including widening of roads leading to Ujjain and developing of 10 districts in the Malwa region.
“It is likely that Rajora is heading to become the next CS. (But) an old case might come in the way of it. However, considering that the court had quashed the case, it has no legal legs to stand on, yet it remains to be seen how it plays out,” said a fellow bureaucrat.
The case in question pertains to 2008 when the income tax department searched his house and other personnel of the health department for alleged tax evasion. The search at Rajora’s house came eight months after the I-T officials searched the house of principal secretary, health, Yogi Raj Sharma. Rajora was then posted as secretary for the law and justice department, and the case was related to his tenure as the state’s health commissioner.
As a result of the I-T search, the IAS officer was suspended in February 2010 for contravening the All India Service (Conduct) Rules while he was serving as the member of Revenue Board in Gwalior. In 2011, the I-T department assessed his taxable income and fixed a tax liability of Rs 1.5 crore against him.
Two years on, the Madhya Pradesh High Court quashed the search warrant of the I-T department and observed that “the case had no legal legs to stand on.”
Subsequently, the suspension was lifted after 33 months following which he went on to serve as the secretary of the panchayat and labour department before being made as the principal secretary, agriculture during the tenure of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Rajora held the position of principal secretary, agriculture, from 2013 until 2020 when he was moved as the principal secretary, home, in 2020.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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