Chandigarh(Punjab) [India]: A 1993-batch IAS officer, Anurag Verma, on Saturday, took charge as 42nd Chief Secretary of Punjab in the presence of outgoing Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua and other senior civil officers, said a press release on Saturday.
Born in a family of academicians from Patiala, Verma will also be the Principal Secretary of Personnel and Vigilance in addition to his present assignment as Chief Secretary, added the press release. After assuring the charge as Chief Secretary, Verma said that under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, he will accord top priority to clean, efficient, responsive and transparent administration besides giving major thrust on Health and Education sectors along with all-round development of the state, as per the statement. The Chief Secretary said that he will discharge his duty with due diligence and devotion to ensure the well-being of every section of society.
Verma said that Punjab, being a border state and food bowl of the country, assumes a lot of significance for the entire country adding that the support of all civil and police officers besides government employees, will make Punjab a front-ranking state in the country.
The Chief Secretary said that a major thrust will also be laid on implementing the state government’s citizen-centric and development-oriented policies with feedback from the ground level.
He said that every effort will be made to percolate the benefits of the pro-people policies of the state government at the ground level. He further said that a viable mechanism will be evolved for further resolving the grievances of the general public on a priority basis and in a prompt manner.
Notably, Verma’s native village is Chalela in Patiala district and he is a Gold Medalist from the Thapar College, Patiala in Electronics and Communication Engineering. He bagged overall 7th rank in the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 1993.
Earlier, Verma was holding the charge of Additional Chief Secretary Home, Industries and Commerce, Legal and Legislative Affairs, Information Technology and Investment Promotion.
He had also served the state in various capacities including in Rural Development and Panchayats, Excise and Taxation, and Revenue. He took the step of computerizing revenue land records and establishing Fard Kendras in the state while serving as Special Secretary of Revenue.
