1993 batch IAS officer Anurag Verma has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Punjab. He also gets additional charge of Principal Secretary, Department of Personnel and Vigilance.
Official orders have been issued. Anurag Verma will succeed VK Janjua, who will retire on June 30 and will be the 42nd person to hold the prestigious position. He was currently appointed as the state’s home secretary.
WHO IS ANURAG VERMA?
Anurag Verma was born into a family of academicians in Patiala, where his father was a Professor of Chemistry and his mother was an English teacher. Chalela is his hometown in the Patiala district.
Anurag Verma, a Gold Medalist in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Thapar College, Patiala, finished seventh overall in the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 1993.
He excelled in different departments at the Head Office after providing good and effective services as Deputy Commissioner of Bathinda, Ludhiana, and Jalandhar districts during his field posting.
As Special Secretary of Revenue, he spearheaded the computerization of revenue land records and the establishment of Fard Kendras in the state. He also played a key role in generating income while serving as Excise and Taxation Commissioner, with his crowning achievement being making tax payment easy and transparent for citizens.
He efficiently implemented the MGNREGA scheme at the ground level while acting as the Finance Commissioner for Rural Development and Panchayat. Not content with this, he established a healthy sporting environment by establishing playgrounds and sports parks in over 1000 communities around the state.
Anurag Verma assured that he will carry out the responsibilities assigned to him by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann with care and devotion and that the implementation of people-friendly programmes launched by the State Government at the grassroots level will be his top priority. He stated that, in addition to the exceptional job being done by the State Government in the health and education sectors, the transparent and better citizen-centric services being provided to the state’s inhabitants will be continued in a more effective manner. Furthermore, the state’s overall development will be ensured, and people’s problems will be addressed on a priority basis.
