Union secretary in Department of Adminis- trative Reforms & Public Grievances, N Ravi Shanker, on Tuesday took over as the new Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand, replacing Subhash Kumar.
Although Additional Chief Secretary Rakesh Sharma, a 1981 IAS officer, was considered to be a strong contender for the top bureaucratic post, Chief Minister Harish Rawat gave Shanker the responsibility.
Talking to the reporters Shanker said he will work for an all-round development of the hill state. "My focus will also be on the priorities of the Chief Minister," he said.
Shanker, who belongs to Uttarakhand cadre of 1980 batch had gone to the Centre on deputation in 2007. Before that, he was state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and held vital departments such as energy and Public Works Department (PWD) as Principal Secretary during the previous N D Tiwari regime.
Kumar has also been given the charge of chairman of the Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission (UERC) in recognition of his services in the power sector. "We will give a warm sendoff to Kumar tomorrow," said the chief minister.
