Bhopal: Anurag Jain, former road transport and highways secretary who was appointed the new Madhya Pradesh chief secretary Monday, is among the few civil servants associated with the launch of some defining government schemes, both at the state and central levels.
As secretary to then-Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Jain worked closely on Chouhan’s vision for a women-centric scheme that led to launch of the state’s flagship Ladli Laxmi Yojana providing financial incentives for girls’ education in 2007.
During his various stints with the central government, Jain was associated with the execution of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship schemes aimed at financial inclusion announced in 2014.
As secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), he was one of the architects of the Gati Shakti National Master Plan which saw 18 ministries coming together on a single digital platform to transform the infrastructure sector.
Widely regarded as an efficient administrator, the 59-year-old Jain is hoping to bring in some of this vast governance experience to the state as he takes over the reins as chief secretary of Madhya Pradesh.
Jain is the latest to join a list of civil servants being sent to head states in what many say is a sign of increased control of the central government over issues related to governance of states. But Jain wasn’t the only contender for the post.
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Not state’s first choice
A source in the Madhya Pradesh chief minister’s office (CMO) told ThePrint that as Veera Rana, the state chief secretary was set to retire on 30 September following a six-month extension, there was some ambiguity on who would take over from her.
Jain was considered a strong contender, but Rajesh Rajora, a 1990 batch IAS officer, was seen as the frontrunner with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav rooting for him.
Rajora seemed to have the confidence of the newly appointed chief minister as he was elevated to the post of additional chief secretary to Yadav on 22 June.
He was also tasked with coordination between the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and other states in what many saw as Yadav’s move to groom Rajora for the top job.
But after days of studied silence, the central government gave the green signal for Jain’s appointment on 30 September.
According to senior government officers privy to the appointment, while Mohan Yadav had sent the name of Anurag Jain—the seniormost civil servant in the state cadre—after Veera Rana’s retirement, he also recommended Rajesh Rajora and pushed for his appointment.
With no names being finalised by the Centre, the state’s General Administrative Department (GAD) department was asked to wait for the Centre’s inputs until evening. But if there was no communication, appointment orders for Rajora as the chief secretary were to be issued.
“It was nearly sure that Rajora was to be the next CS, until the central government communicated to the state that it was Anurag Jain who had been finalised and would be taking over the role of the CS,” said the senior official requesting anonymity.
Despite Mohan Yadav rooting for Rajora, Jain’s appointment as Madhya Pradesh chief secretary is part of a broader trend of several officers serving in the central government with close proximity to the Prime Minister being sent to head the bureaucracy in states.
One of the prominent examples is D.S. Mishra, a 1984-batch IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh on deputation to the central government, who was given an extension two days before his retirement and appointed chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh. His tenure was extended, giving him two-and-a-half years in the job before he finally retired in June this year.
More recently, on 31 August, Amrit Lal Meena who was serving as secretary in the Ministry of Coal was appointed chief secretary of Bihar.
Jain’s career graph
Jain, a 1989 batch officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has throughout his career earned the reputation of an officer with impeccable integrity and a doer, who has effectively used his skills as an engineer from IIT Kharagpur to resolve social challenges in the country.
He also has a Master’s in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in the US.
Since 2014, Jain has been on deputation with the central government in various capacities starting as joint secretary in the finance department followed by a stint as secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office between 2015-18.
He then moved to become vice-chairman of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in 2020 followed by secretary, DPIIT, in 2021-23, and secretary in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways before being appointed as the 35th chief secretary of Madhya Pradesh.
Earlier, even as speculation of Rajora being appointed chief secretary of Madhya Pradesh was rife, Jain’s name had been in the reckoning with the retirement of the then chief secretary Iqbal Singh Bains.
But Jain was left out with Bains getting two extensions before Veera Rana was appointed chief secretary in-charge as the state headed for Assembly elections in November 2023.
“But this time around, Anurag Jain’s name was finalised with both Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Jyotiraditya Scindia weighing in for his appointment,” said a source from the state government.
Jain not only has the trust of the PMO but also enjoys a good rapport with the political class.
He has held several important posts in the state government from collector of Durg to collector of Bhopal between 2001 and 2004. During his time as Bhopal collector, Jain started the digitisation of revenue records using Google Maps, an initiative that was soon replicated across the state. In 2002, when caste clashes between Dalits and Brahmins became frequent in a Bhopal locality, Jain organised a feast prepared by members of the Dalit community, in a bid to bring both Dalits and Brahmins together.
In 2005, Jain was appointed secretary to then-newly-appointed chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He remained Chouhan’s secretary for six years until 2011.
During this period, he also held charge as the secretary of the IT department which led to the setting up of the Tata and Infosys campuses in MP.
“With Anurag set to retire in August 2025, he wanted to return to Madhya Pradesh, and he was the best man for the job. With his experience in governance, many problems of the bureaucracy presently in the state will be resolved,” said another senior officer from the state, requesting anonymity.
For many civil servants in the state, Jain’s appointment as chief secretary is a welcome move.
“When the orders were finally issued, we just joked that we could have an easy day as soon after Anurag Jain takes charge, all of us will be pushed hard to give our best,” said another senior officer.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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