20 IAS Officers To Hang Their Boots Tomorrow

Among these IAS officers, who are retiring on April 30, are R M Rao and Sanjeev Kumar Jain of the AGMUT cadre, K S Sreenivasa Raju of the AP cadre, Abhijit Baruah of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre and Dr Ashok Khemaka of the Haryana cadre.

The others are Hari Kumar Keshari of the Jharkhand cadre, S R Umashankar of the Karnataka cadre, Sarada G Murleedharan and Biju Prabhakar of the Kerala cadre, Abhay Kumar Varma and Shail Bala Anjana Martin of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, Alok Kumar Kar of the Odisha cadre, Sunil Sharma of the Rajasthan cadre, Dr R Nanthagopal, Dr N Venkatachalam and S Palanisamay of the Tamil Nadu cadre, Arun Singhal and Monika S Garg of the UP cadre and A Santhu Kumari and Jaideep Duttagupta of the West Bengal cadre.

In their respective long and distinguished careers in public service, each of these officers have contributed significantly to administration across diverse fields such as revenue, health, education, rural development, and urban infrastructure. Now, their retirement marks the end of remarkable journeys in public service, with many expected to continue contributing to society in various capacities post-retirement.

From among the retiring officers, Ashok Khemka (1991-batch) is famously recognised for his integrity over a distinguished 33-year career with 57 postings. In December last year, just five months before his retirement, he was appointed Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the state’s transport department, after serving in the printing and stationery department.

The professional life of Khemka had been marked by frequent transfers, often to insignificant departments. Once he had said he had sacrificed his service career in his zeal to end corruption.

Upon her retirement, Sarada G Murleedharan (1990-batch), who is currently the Chief Secretary of Kerala, will be succeeded by Dr A Jayathilak (1991-batch) as the state’s 50th Chief Secretary. Muraleedharan had recently sparked a crucial conversation on colourism and discrimination, after sharing her personal experience of skin-tone bias, questioning deep-rooted prejudices and asserting that black is just as beautiful as any other colour.

Arun Singhal (1987-batch) is currently the Director-General, National Archives of India. Earlier this month, the Centre upgraded the post he has been holding from Additional Secretary to Secretary till the date of retirement.

Monika S Garg (1989-batch), who hails from Chandigarh, is currently heading the UP IAS Association. During her 36-year-long career, she made a remarkable impact in leadership positions she held across UP and the Centre.

Abhijit Barua (2020-batch), a promoted IAS officer, is currently posted in his cadre state Assam as Secretary, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Department, and Commissioner of Food Safety and Drugs Administration. Another promoted IAS officer Hari Kumar Keshari (2010-batch) is currently posted as the Divisional Commissioner of Kolhan Division in Chaibasa district of Jharkhand. 

Jaideep Duttagupta, a promoted IAS officer (2018-batch) is currently holding the post of Chief Executive Officer of the West Bengal State Agricultural Marketing Board.

Biju Prabhakar (2004-batch) currently serves as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). Besides his professional feats, he is also recognised for his work on various initiatives, including the Karunya Lottery and the Karunya Benevolent Fund, which provide financial assistance for patients requiring surgery. He has also been involved in land resumption and drainage projects in Thiruvananthapuram.