On May 31st, Mr. Rakesh Singh (1989 batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer) retired from the post of the Additional Chief Secretary in the Department of Urban Development after serving for 35 long years in the Indian Administrative Service. During his almost four-decade-long stint in the bureaucracy, Mr. Singh headed the Water Resource Department among several other crucial departments, and also worked in the Bangalore Development Authority.
Mr. Singh was succeeded by Ms. Shaleeni Rajneesh (1989 batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer), presently the Development Commissioner, as the Additional Chief Secretary – second in command to Mr. Umashankar SR (1993 batch IAS officer), the Chief Secretary of Karnataka. While serving as the Additional Chief Secretary, Mr. Singh made it to the headlines for giving nod to the utilisation of Transferable Development Right (TDR) certificates to a realty firm, superseding the prevailing laws.
