Raj Kumar is a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh. (File)
Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Raj Kumar has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary to the Gujarat government, a state official said on Wednesday.
Raj Kumar, a 1987-batch IAS officer, is currently serving as the Additional Chief Secretary in the state Home Department. The 58-year-old bureaucrat will replace incumbent chief secretary Pankaj Kumar, who is retiring on January 31, a notification from the state General Administration Department (GAD) said.
Raj Kumar, a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, spent nearly six years at the Centre after he was sent on central deputation in 2015. His last posting at the Centre was as Secretary, Defence Production. He had also served as the Director General, Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), New Delhi, during his deputation.
After his repatriation to Gujarat, Kumar was made ACS-Home in December 2021. After Pankaj Kumar and 1986-batch IAS officer Vipul Mittra, Raj Kumar is the third most senior bureaucrat in Gujarat at present.
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