Bengaluru, November 22, 2023: Rajneesh Goel, IAS officer of the 1986 batch, has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Karnataka.
He will replace Vandita Sharma, who is retiring this month-end. She became the Chief Secretary in May 2022, making her the fourth woman to occupy the position.
Goel will be Chief Secretary until his superannuation in July 2024. He is currently the Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister as well as the Home Department.
The State Cabinet had authorised Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to select the next Chief Secretary.
Goel will be the 40th Chief Secretary of Karnataka. Goel’s wife’, Shalini Rajneesh, is also an IAS officer and is serving as the Additional Chief Secretary of Karnataka. It is possible that she could become the Chief Secretary, too. If that happens, it will be the second instance of a couple occupying the position after B K Bhattacharya and his wife Theresa Bhattacharya.
The Goel couple hails from Haryana and Goel studied mechanical engineering and went on to get a PhD in public administration..
