Jaipur: The central government has notified the promotion of 16 Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) officers to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), marking a significant development in the state’s administrative cadre. The select list comprises 13 officers from the 1998 batch and three from the 1999 batch.
The promotions include several officers serving in key positions across Rajasthan’s administrative departments, including the Board of Revenue, the Registration and Stamps Department, the Tribal Area Development Department, the Rajasthan State Information Commission and the Chief Minister’s Office.
Among the selectees is Gopal Ram Birda, a 1998-batch RAS officer whose name had reportedly been kept pending because of a departmental inquiry. He secured a stay on the inquiry from a court, following which the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) decided to grant him promotion, according to the information available.
The latest promotions are an important milestone for the officers who entered the state administrative service and subsequently became eligible for induction into the IAS through the promotion process.
Gopal Ram Birda Makes It to IAS Promotion List After Court Stay
Gopal Ram Birda, a 1998-batch RAS officer, is among the 16 officers promoted to the IAS.
His name had reportedly been kept in a sealed envelope during the selection process because of a departmental inquiry. However, after obtaining a court stay on the inquiry, the DoPT decided to grant him promotion.
Birda is currently serving as Additional Director General at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur, a prominent cultural institution in Rajasthan.
His inclusion in the promotion list marks the resolution of the immediate hurdle that had kept his case pending, following the court’s intervention and the subsequent decision by the DoPT.
List of 13 Rajasthan RAS Officers From the 1998 Batch Promoted to IAS
The largest group in the latest promotion list comprises 13 officers from the 1998 batch of the Rajasthan Administrative Service. They have been serving in a range of administrative and departmental positions across the state.
1. Gopal Ram Birda
Gopal Ram Birda is currently serving as Additional Director General, Jawahar Kala Kendra. His promotion follows the court’s stay on the departmental inquiry that had held up consideration of his case.
2. Meghna Chaudhary
Meghna Chaudhary, a 1998-batch RAS officer, is currently serving as Additional Inspector General, Registration and Stamps (Administration), Ajmer.
Her current responsibilities are associated with the administration of the state’s registration and stamps establishment.
3. Om Prakash Jain
Om Prakash Jain is currently serving as Director of the Tribal Research and Training Institute, Manikya Lal Verma, in Udaipur.
His assignment involves an institution associated with research and training relating to tribal communities and development.
4. Rajesh Singh
Rajesh Singh is currently serving as Member of the Board of Revenue, Ajmer.
The Board of Revenue is an important state-level institution dealing with revenue administration and related matters.
5. Mukesh Kumar Sharma
Mukesh Kumar Sharma is currently serving as Secretary of the Rajasthan State Information Commission in Jaipur.
His current assignment involves the administrative functioning of the state information commission.
6. Mahendra Kumar Sharma
Mahendra Kumar Sharma is currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Technical Education Department, Jaipur.
His role involves departmental administration in the technical education sector.
7. Anju Rajpal
Anju Rajpal is currently serving as Joint Secretary to the Chief Minister of Rajasthan.
She is the sister of Manju Rajpal, a 2000-batch IAS officer who is currently serving as Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Horticulture.
Anju Rajpal’s promotion adds another officer serving in a key state government assignment to the IAS cadre.
8. Vivek Kumar
Vivek Kumar is currently serving as Additional Inspector General (Administration) in the Office of the Registration and Stamps Department, Jaipur.
His responsibilities are connected with the administrative functioning of the department.
9. Madan Lal Nehra
Madan Lal Nehra is currently serving as Member of the Board of Revenue, Ajmer.
His promotion brings another officer from the 1998 RAS batch serving in the Board of Revenue into the IAS.
10. Dinesh Kumar Jangid
Dinesh Kumar Jangid is currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Animal Husbandry Department, Jaipur.
His assignment involves administrative responsibilities in the state’s animal husbandry sector.
11. Poonam Prasad Sagar
Poonam Prasad Sagar is currently serving as Additional Commissioner in the Food and Civil Supplies Department, Jaipur.
The department handles matters related to food distribution and the supply of essential commodities.
12. Ummed Singh
Ummed Singh is currently serving as Officer on Special Duty (SA) to Cabinet Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.
Rathore handles the Industries and Commerce, Youth Affairs, and Sports departments in the Rajasthan government.
Ummed Singh’s present assignment involves supporting the minister’s administrative and departmental responsibilities.
13. Mahaveer Kharadi
Mahaveer Kharadi is currently serving as Additional Commissioner (II) in the Tribal Area Development Department, Udaipur.
He is also the President of the Rajasthan Administrative Service Association.
His promotion is significant for the RAS fraternity, of which he has been an association leader.
Three Officers From the 1999 RAS Batch Also Promoted
Apart from the 13 officers from the 1998 batch, three officers from the 1999 batch have also been included in the IAS promotion list.
14. Dr Bhagchand Badhal
Dr Bhagchand Badhal is currently serving as Additional Commissioner in the Jaipur Development Authority.
The authority is responsible for urban planning and development-related functions in Jaipur.
15. Aslam Sher Khan
Aslam Sher Khan, a 1999-batch RAS officer, is currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Minority Affairs and Waqf Department, Jaipur.
His present assignment involves departmental administration relating to minority affairs and waqf matters.
16. Narendra Kumar Bansal
Narendra Kumar Bansal is currently serving as Additional Commissioner in the Jaipur Municipal Corporation.
His role involves administrative responsibilities in the city’s municipal governance structure.
Four Officers Selected Through Special Selection Still Await State Recommendation
While the promotion of the 16 RAS officers has been notified, a separate issue concerning the induction of officers from other services into the IAS remains unresolved.
According to the information available, the Rajasthan government has not yet recommended the names of four officers selected through the special selection process to the Department of Personnel and Training, despite approximately ten months having passed since their final selection.
Interviews for the special selection process were conducted in December 2025. Of the 20 officers who appeared for the interviews, four were selected against the 2024 vacancy.
However, their names have reportedly not been forwarded to the DoPT by the state government, despite several reminders.
The delay has become more significant because the selection process for the 2025 vacancies is also due.
The pending recommendations represent a separate stage of the IAS induction process from the promotion list of 16 RAS officers. The 16 officers have been notified for promotion, whereas the four officers selected through the special selection route are awaiting the state government’s recommendation to the Centre.
The reasons for the delay in forwarding their names have not been specified in the information available.
What the Promotions Mean for Rajasthan’s Administrative Cadre
The promotion of 16 RAS officers to the IAS represents an important progression in the state’s administrative service structure.
RAS officers can be inducted into the IAS through the prescribed promotion process, subject to eligibility, selection and the applicable service rules. Such promotions enable experienced state civil servants to move into the All India Services and take on broader administrative responsibilities.
The latest list includes officers serving across revenue administration, technical education, tribal development, food and civil supplies, municipal governance and other departments.
At the same time, the delay involving the four officers selected through the special selection process highlights a separate administrative issue concerning the forwarding of recommendations and the progression of the selection process.
With the 2025 vacancy selection also due, the state government’s pending action on the four names remains an important matter for the officers concerned.
The notification of the 16 promotions and the pending special-selection recommendations therefore mark two distinct developments in the process of strengthening and replenishing Rajasthan’s IAS cadre.
