Dheeraj Gupta takes over as Additional Chief Secretary to CM

Srinagar, Oct 21: Dheeraj Gupta took over as Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister on Monday.

An alumnus of IIT Kanpur, Gupta is a 1993 batch IAS officer. He has worked in key sectors in the J&K government in Power, Housing and Urban Development, Forest and Environment, Revenue, Relief, Rehabilitation, and Disaster Management.

Gupta has served as Deputy Commissioner of Baramulla and Leh districts, CEO of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and Additional CEO of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board.

He was the first Commissioner Secretary of the Relief, Rehabilitation, and Disaster Management Department which was created in the wake of the devastating floods of 2014.

Gupta laid a solid foundation for the new department and negotiated and finalised the contours of the Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project with the World Bank.

At the Centre, Gupta has the unique experience of serving in the Prime Minister’s Office, NITI Aayog, and as Private Secretary to the Union Defence Minister handling key issues of national and internal security and policy.

He handled the transition management from the Planning Commission to NITI Aayog, restructuring of the Planning Commission, and developing the blueprint of the new secretariat to enable the Aayog to fulfil its mandate.

Gupta is a recipient of the Chief of Army Staff’s Gold Medal for the synergy that he had brought about among the civilians, administration, and the Army during his tenure as Deputy Commissioner of the then militancy-ridden Baramulla.

He is also a recipient of the ‘Lt Governor's Award for Honesty, Integrity and Meritorious Public Services’ in recognition of his outstanding contribution to public services.