Dayanand Kataria, born on 17 September 1962, is a retired Indian Administrative Service officer from the 1989 Tamil Nadu cadre. He holds graduate degrees in Hindi and Law. Throughout his career, he served in various capacities including District Collector, Joint Secretary to the Chief Minister, Commissioner, Managing Director, and Principal Secretary. His most recent position was Additional Chief Secretary to Government in the Department of Consumer Affairs from December 2019 to March 2020. Kataria’s extensive administrative experience spans multiple leadership roles across state departments until his retirement.