Sudhansh Pant Assumed As Rajasthan’s New Chief Secretary

Utkarsh Classes Last Updated 01-01-2024

Sudhansh Pant Assumed As Rajasthan’s New Chief Secretary

Rajasthan 4 min read

In a recent meeting, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by the Prime Minister announced that Senior IAS officer Sudhansh Pant will be the New Chief Secretary of Rajasthan.

Sudhansh Pant took the place of Usha Sharma, who retired recently.
Sudhansh Pant will also hold additional charge as the chairman of Rajasthan Mines and Mineral Corporation Limited.

About the Chief Secretary

The Chief Secretary is considered one of the highest officials of India's execution system. The senior-most IAS of the Indian government is appointed as Chief Secretary.
The Chief Secretary is the ex-officio head of the State Secretariat, the state Indian Administrative Service, the state Civil Services Board and all civil services that come under the control of the state government.
The Chief Secretary is the principal advisor to the Chief Minister on all issues related to state administration.

Appointment of Chief Secretary

The Chief Minister of state appoints Chief Secretaries.
Usually, Senior IAS officers are appointed as State Chief Secretaries.
The Chief Minister can have an opinion of the Union government regarding the appointment, but this consultation is not mandatory.
The Chief Minister may also consult ministers or the cabinet.
Seniority cum merit criterion is applied in a selection post.

Three factors are considered while selecting the Chief Secretary:

Seniority
Service record
Evaluation of the Chief Minister

Role of Chief Secretary of India

The Chief Secretary is the administrative head of the state administration and the executive head secretariat of the state.
The Chief Secretary has the highest position in the state administrative hierarchy.
All the secretariat departments come under the control of the Chief Secretary.
The Chief Secretary works to guide, lead and control the entire administrative system of the state.
The State Civil Service Board, which can recommend the transfer/postings of All India Services and State Civil Services officers in the state, is headed by the Chief Secretary, which means the Chief Secretary serves the state as the ex-officio Chairman of the State Civil Service Board.
Chief Secretaries are assisted by Additional Chief Secretaries or Special Chief Secretaries, who are the administrative heads of their assigned departments.

Facts about Rajasthan Chief Secretary

The first Chief Secretary of Rajasthan was K. Radhakrishnan.
The first female Chief Secretary of Rajasthan was Kushal Singh.
Till now, two females have served as chief secretary of Rajasthan: Kushal Singh and Usha Sharma.