Senior IAS officer Dharmendra appointed as chief secretary of Delhi

Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Dharmendra was appointed as the chief secretary of Delhi on Saturday. A 1989 batch officer of Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, he will replace Naresh Kumar of the 1987 batch whose service extension ended on August 31.
“With the approval of the Competent Authority, Sh. Dharmendra, IAS (AGMUT:1989) is hereby transferred from Arunachal Pradesh to Delhi and posted as Chief Secretary, GNCTD w.e.f.01.09.2024 or with effect from the date of joining, whichever is later,” said an order dated August 31, issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Currently serving as the chief secretary of Arunachal Pradesh, Dharmendra is one of the most senior officers in the AGMUT cadre. He hails from Delhi.
He had earlier served as the divisional commissioner of Delhi, and has worked in the urban development department, Delhi municipal corporation and has also served in the New Delhi Municipal Council, besides serving in different positions under the central government.
His appointment comes at a time when the bureaucracy has a strained relationship with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi and several senior officers have had a run-in with the ministers over a range of issues such as waterlogging, de-silting of drains, felling of trees in south Delhi, vacancy of doctors and paramedical staff in the Delhi government hospitals.
Naresh Kumar was appointed chief secretary on April 21, 2022, and retired on November 30, 2023. He was given an extension for six months in November 2023 and another for three months till August 31 due to the Lok Sabha elections.
Kumar had several run-ins with the AAP government over a range of issues, the latest being the de-silting of drains and the appointment of doctors and paramedical staff in the government hospitals.