New Delhi: What was long speculated has finally come to pass. Following a proposal from the Rajasthan government, the Centre has approved a six-month extension for the state’s Chief Secretary, V. Srinivas. Srinivas will now continue to serve as the state’s Chief Secretary for the next six months. Some media reports had already anticipated this extension.
He will now remain in the post of Chief Secretary until February 28, 2027. The approval for his service extension was granted by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. The state government had previously submitted the proposal to the Centre, and the wait for approval has now ended.
Duration of the Service Extension
According to a letter issued by the DoPT on August 20, 2026, Srinivas’s service has been extended. He will now discharge the responsibilities of Chief Secretary for the state government from September 1, 2026, to February 28, 2027. This approval has been granted under Rule 16(1) of the All India Services Rules, 1958. The Central Government has approved the specific proposal submitted by the Rajasthan government.
The state government had sent the proposal for the Chief Secretary’s service extension to the Centre via a D.O. (Demi-Official) letter on July 23, 2026; the matter had been pending until then. However, the government approved it on August 20, 2026. Srinivas is considered a highly senior IAS officer of the 1989 batch, belonging to the Rajasthan cadre.
He is currently serving as the Chief Secretary of Rajasthan. Following the Centre’s approval, he will continue in this role until February 2027. Information regarding the approval of the service extension was conveyed in a letter sent by Rajesh Kumar Yadav, Under Secretary at the Department of Personnel and Training, to the Principal Secretary of the General Administration Department of the Rajasthan government.
Find out who else received an extension.
It is worth noting that in Rajasthan, during Ashok Gehlot’s government, IAS officer Usha Sharma also received an extension of service as Chief Secretary. A 1985-batch IAS officer, Usha Sharma was due to retire on June 30, 2023. Following a proposal from the state government, the central government granted her a six-month extension.
Consequently, she continued in the post until December 31, 2023. Furthermore, during the tenure of the previous Vasundhara Raje government, IAS officer CS Rajan had also been granted an extension of service as Chief Secretary. CS Rajan had assumed the role of Chief Secretary of Rajasthan on November 1, 2014.
Although his original tenure was scheduled to end on December 31, 2015, the central government granted him his first service extension on December 23, 201,5 just seven days before his scheduled retirement. This extension lasted until March 31, 2016. Subsequently, CS Rajan received a second service extension as well.
