By B S Reporter
Had Usha Sharma not got an extension and Veenu Gupta elevated to chief secretary, a history would have been created in Rajasthan bureaucracy. Gupta would have got the distinction of being the first IAS officer to join her husband D B Gupta in the decorated list of chief secretaries in the state. D B Gupta, a 1983 batch officer had served the state as the chief secretary from 1 May, 2018 to July 2020. His wife Veenu Gupta, a 1987 batch IAS is the senior most bureaucrat in the state after chief secretary Usha Sharma who will serve for another 6 months after extension putting end to chances of Veenu Gupta who retires in December.
First chief secretary-couple of India
In the year 2000, Teresa Bhattacharya, a 1965 batch IAS officer took over the reins from his husband B K Bhattacharya to become the first woman chief secretary of Karnataka. And in the process they both probably became the first chief secretary-couple of the country. Gupta couple could have joined the elite club after almost 23 years had stars favoured Veenu Gupta.
Extension unfold dramatically
The extension of Usha Sharma has come as a surprise as centre, in the past, has not been accommodating to the request of non BJP ruled states. In Usha Sharma's case the ‘go ahead' from centre has come dramatically in just 13 days after the request for extension was sent on June 16, 2023. The most significant point in the order is that the extension has been given for 6 months in one go. Earlier during the Vasundhara Raje government, her chief secretary C S Rajan was also given 6 months extension, but in two tranches of three months.
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