CHANDIGARH: Vivek Joshi, a 1989 batch IAS officer, is the new Chief Secretary of Haryana. He will succeed TVSN Prasad, who retired on Thursday.
The orders for the appointment of seniormost IAS officer of Haryana cadre as chief secretary were issued on Thursday. Besides, chief secretary he will also be the in charge of general administration, personnel and training, parliamentary affairs and plan coordination.
The spotlight shifted to Joshi with the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) approving repatriation of the officer, who was posted as Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Public Grievances and Pensions, to his parent state Haryana “on the request of the state government” on October 26.
Joshi’s ‘ghar wapsi’ in Haryana five days before Prasad’s retirement was seen as a sign of his being elevated to the top post.
Interestingly, the orders to repatriate Joshi to Haryana by Manisha Saxena, Secretary of the ACC, came hours after Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on October 26.
The BJP Government was keen to follow the ‘seniority principle’ for the appointment of the new chief secretary especially in view of the ‘seniority issues’ among certain 1990 batch IAS officers.
Meanwhile, Anurag Rastogi, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance and Home will hold the charge of Chief Secretary till the joining of Joshi.