Raipur, Dec 20 (IANS): Subodh Kumar Singh, an IAS officer of the 1997 batch, has been appointed as the Principal Secretary (PS) to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai. The appointment comes after Singh returned from his central deputation.

Singh has served as the District Collector in several districts of the state, including Raipur.

Recently, he was serving as an Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Steel in the central government. Upon the state government’s request, he has now returned to Chhattisgarh, his parent cadre, and will take up the significant responsibility of Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister.

An official order in this regard has been issued by the General Administration Department, the Government of Chhattisgarh, assigning Subodh Kumar Singh the important role of PS to the Chief Minister. His leadership is expected to bring further improvements in the functioning of the state administration.

Singh’s vast experience and expertise are expected to significantly strengthen the Chief Minister’s office, and his appointment has been welcomed positively across various sectors of the state.

During Dr Raman Singh's tenure in Chhattisgarh, Subodh Kumar Singh served in the Chief Secretariat in Raipur and held several key departments. He played a key role in the administrative ecosystem of the state government.

He is an Electrical Engineering graduate from IIT Roorkee and also holds a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the same institute, along with a Master's degree in Business Administration from IGNOU.

According to information, Singh had earlier met the Chief Secretary and submitted his joining. Since then, there has been speculation that he might be appointed as the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister. It is believed that CM Sai personally requested the central government to bring Singh back to Chhattisgarh.