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Anurag Verma, chief IAS official on Saturday took over the duties of Chief Secretary for Punjab and said his top priority will be to provide a clean, efficient, responsive and transparent administration.
Verma, an officer of the class of 1993, succeeds Vijay Kumar Janjua, who retired on 30 June. He is the 42nd Secretary of Punjab and Verma and will also hold the position of Principal Secretary, Staff and Vigilant.
Janjua and other senior officers including DK Tiwari, Kumar Rahul, Malwinder Singh Jaggi, Kumar Rahul and Sonali Giri were present at the Punjab Civil Secretariat when Verma took over.
After being confirmed as Chief Secretary, Verma said that there would be major orientation in the health and education sectors along with the overall development of the state.
He said that Punjab, being a frontier state and food bowl of the country, is of great importance to the entire country. He added that with the support of all civil officers, police and government employees, Punjab will become a leading state in the country.
The IAS officer, who is from Patiala in Punjab, had earlier served as Deputy Commissioner of Bathinda, Ludhiana and Jalandhar districts.
Asked about the outstanding funds with the centre, he said he very much hoped to persuade and release the Union Government for the development of the state.
Asked if the state government will transfer the Supreme Court over the pending Rural Development Fund, Verma said he has just taken charge and can only respond after a meeting with the administrative secretaries.
The AAP government in Punjab has accused the BJP-led center of not releasing about 3,500 crore from the Rural Development Fund. The state government has also been at odds with the center over alleged withholding of funds under the National Health Mission.
The newly appointed Secretary-General said that he would carry out his duty with due diligence and dedication to ensure the welfare of every section of society. He said a major thrust will also be set in implementing the state government’s citizen-centred and development-oriented policies with feedback from the ground level. He said that every effort would be made to percolate the benefits of the people-friendly policies of the state government at the ground level. He said a viable mechanism to resolve public grievances would be developed immediately.
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