Rajeev Verma appointed adviser to Chandigarh administrator

The post of the Chandigarh adviser had been vacant since Dharam Pal’s retirement on October 31, 2023; UT home secretary Nitin Yadav had been holding the additional charge

Three months since the post fell vacant, the Union home ministry on Monday appointed Rajeev Verma, a 1992-batch IAS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, as the new adviser to Chandigarh administrator Banwarilal Purohit.

Rajeev Verma, a 1992-batch IAS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, was appointed adviser to Chandigarh administrator Banwarilal Purohit on Monday. (HT file photo)

Verma, who is the chief secretary of Puducherry at present, is expected to take charge of Chandigarh in the next few days. Belonging to Uttar Pradesh, he completed his graduation in computer science from IIT Roorkee and also holds an MTech degree. This will be his first posting in Chandigarh.

Before joining as chief secretary of Puducherry, Verma was working as the principal secretary and commissioner of finance in New Delhi. He also served the Centre as the joint secretary of defence from 2013 to 2017. Earlier, he was the chairman and managing director, joint secretary of transport in Delhi from 2012 to 2013.

The post of the UT adviser had been vacant since the retirement of Dharam Pal on October 31, 2023.

UT home secretary Nitin Yadav had been holding the additional charge in the interim.

Meanwhile, the home ministry has also ordered the transfer of UT education secretary Purva Garg, a 2015-batch IAS officer of AGMUT cadre, to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

In exchange, Chaudhary Abhijit Vijay, a 2012 batch IAS officer of the same cadre, has been transferred from Puducherry to Chandigarh with immediate effect.