Two days after former Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra completed his term in office and the new Governor Haribhau Kisanrao Bagade had sworn in, IAS Gaurav Goyal – secretary to Governor – too leaves Governor House and set off for Delhi to work with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who too belongs to Rajasthan.
A 2006 batch IAS officer, Goyal has been appointed as joint secretary in Lok Sabha secretariat for three years on deputation.
This is not for the first time Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla picked an IAS officer from Rajasthan cadre for his office.
In November 2021 during his first term, Birla had chosen Siddharth Mahajan, a 2003 batch IAS from Rajasthan cadre, for his office. Mahajan served there for two and half years before joining commerce ministry as joint secretary in March 2024.
Gaurav Goyal is considered a dynamic and bright officer and had good postings throughout his career.
He had performed exceedingly well as collector of five districts – Barmer, Bharatpur, Jodhpur Ajmer and Kota. So much so that he was awarded twice by Prime Minister for his innovative work as district collector.
In 2011, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh awarded him for work done under MG-NREGA scheme in Barmer district. Five years later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitated him for work done under Digital India Campaign in Ajmer district.
In 2018 when Vasundhara Raje was the chief minister, Goyal as Kota collector entered in Guinness Book of World Record for organising world's longest yoga session.
Apart from that, Goyal has also handled important assignments like secretary to chief minister, managing director RIICO, director mines and petroleum and also as commissioner Jaipur Development Authority, which is considered a prized posting.
Goyal still out of mainstream
However, with change in the government, he was relegated to an insignificant posting as secretary administrative reforms and coordination. Later he was transferred as secretary to Governor, away from the mainstream. The outgoing Governor Kalraj Mishra was happy with his efficient working. He entered the civil services at a young age of 22 and is known for fast decision making.
“He is still away from mainstream. However, there is brighter possibility to get a good posting in centre as Mahajan had managed to get. For go-getters like Goyal, Delhi provides bigger battleground,” said a senior IAS officer.
Prakash Bhandari is a veteran journalist with over 50 years of experience. He has worked with The Times of India for 30 years and contributed to leading publications as well as international news agency AFP.
