Chandigarh: Haryana may be a small state, but it’s definitely not short on chief secretaries. The number of IAS officers in the top state-level grade has gone up to 20 this week, with the government Wednesday promoting seven of its 1991-batch officers to the rank.
The batch was due for this promotion last year when they completed 30 years of service.
Those who have been promoted as additional chief secretaries include Ashok Khemka, Vineet Garg, Anil Malik, G. Anupama and Apoorva Kumar Singh.
As a result, apart from chief secretary Sanjeev Kaushal — a 1986-batch IAS officer — the state now has 19 additional chief secretaries. Seven of these officers are expected to retire this year. The total cadre strength of IAS officers in Haryana is 215.
Besides this, the government has also granted proforma promotion to Shrikant Walgad and Abhilaksh Likhi to the chief secretary grade.
Proforma promotion is granted to those officers who are on deputation and are not currently serving in their cadre state.
The number of proforma additional chief secretaries from Haryana has now gone up to six.
The promoted officers
Khemka, the most senior officer of the 1991 batch to have been promoted, claims to be one of the most transferred officers in the state. He is currently posted in the Department of Science and Technology, where he was transferred in October 2021 from the Archives, Archaeology and Museums Department — his 54th transfer in 29 years of service.
Khemka had shot into limelight in 2012 when he cancelled the mutation of a land deal between Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra’s company and realty giant DLF.
Vineet Garg is now additional chief secretary for the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Welfare of Scheduled Castes & Backward Classes Department.
Anil Malik is now additional chief secretary, Housing and Information Technology, while G. Anupama is now additional chief secretary, Medical Education and Research. Apoorva Kumar Singh is now additional chief secretary, Public Health, Forests and Environment.
Shrikant Walgad has been posted as chief vigilance officer, Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), Bengaluru, under the Central Staffing Scheme since 2019.
Likhi has been posted as additional secretary, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, since September 2018.
(Edited by Rohan Manoj)
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