Vijay Kumar Singh (VK Singh), the most senior officer in Punjab, assumes the role of Principal Secretary to the Punjab Chief Minister. Sources suggest that the Punjab government’s proposal for VK Singh’s appointment has been approved by the central government.
After the retirement of A. Venu Prasad, no appointment was made by the Punjab government to this position. VK Singh, who has been on central deputation since 2017, is currently the most senior officer after Vinay Mahajan, while the position of Chief Secretary is held by Anurag Verma from the 1993 batch. In 2022, during his long career in Punjab, the Modi government honored him for his extensive experience of working with serving and retired armed forces personnel. He possesses considerable experience in subjects like One Rank One Pension (OROP).
VK Singh has over 33 years of experience working in various administrative positions for both the Punjab and central governments. He originally hails from Bihar and had previously served as the Special Secretary in the Ministry of Textiles in the central government before going on central deputation. Prior to becoming the Defence Secretary, he had also served as the Joint Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training. Punjab is facing a shortage of senior officers, which has led to the assignment of multiple departments to individual officers. For instance, K.P. Sinha oversees Finance, Agriculture, and Cooperation departments, while Tejvir Singh manages seven departments including Power, Industry, Rural Development, and Panchayats.”
