V. Srinivas new Chief Secretary of Rajasthan :The state government has appointed senior 1989 batch IAS officer V. Srinivas as the new Chief Secretary of Rajasthan. The Personnel Department issued his appointment order on Sunday. Srinivas will assume charge on Monday (November 17), following the release of the current Chief Secretary Sudhansh Pant.
Return from central deputation after seven years
Srinivas had been serving in the central government for a long time. He was formally relieved from central deputation on Friday evening. Before his release, he served as Secretary in the Union Department of Administrative Reforms, Public Grievances, Pensions and Pensioners’ Welfare.
His return to the state has also raised the possibility of a major administrative reshuffle.
Sudhansh Pant’s new responsibility
Sudhansh Pant will soon take over as Secretary in the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. He has been posted as OSD in the Cabinet Secretariat before joining on November 30th.
Srinivas was the natural choice based on seniority
In the IAS cadre, Srinivas is the next most senior officer in seniority after Subodh Agarwal. Agarwal, of the 1988 batch, is due to retire in December.Srinivas and Shubhra Singh are from the 1989 batch, of whom Singh is currently posted outside the Secretariat as Roadways Chairman.Therefore, there will be no need to send any senior officer out of the Secretariat.
Process accelerated after meeting with the Chief Minister
According to sources, Srinivas met Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma in Delhi last Thursday. A day later, the state government sent a proposal for his release to the central government, which was immediately approved, and the order for his reinstatement was issued the very next day.
Approximately 10 months of tenure before retirement
Srinivas will retire next year in September 2026. His tenure as Chief Secretary will be approximately 10 months.
However, if necessary, the government may grant him two six-month extensions, as has been done with several Chief Secretaries in the past.—
Family and Administrative Background
V. Srinivas is also a relative of former Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao. His wife is Rao’s granddaughter.He has held several high-ranking positions—including serving as the personal secretary to the then Foreign and Finance Minister Jaswant Singh during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
Career from Rajasthan to Washington
Srinivas, who began his career as the Bhilwara Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) in 1989, has served as the Collector of Pali and Jodhpur.
He was first on central deputation from 2000 to 2006.
Following this, he held key positions such as:
- Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum
- Private Secretary to the External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister
- Technical Assistant to the Executive Director for India at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC
In total, he has spent 17 years at the Centre and international forums in his 36 years of service.