Anand Bardhan, a 1992-batch senior IAS officer of the Uttarakhand cadre, will take over as the 19th Chief Secretary of the state in April. He will replace outgoing Chief Secretary Radha Raturi, who is retiring after two extensions granted by the Centre and the state government in the last nine months.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) issued a letter on Friday appointing Anand Bardhan as the Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand. The letter stated, “In the interest of the government’s functioning, you are being appointed as the Chief Secretary of the Uttarakhand government from April 1, 2025. In pursuit of this, kindly join the new assignment accordingly.”

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Anand Bardhan, who had been awaiting his much-awaited promotion for nearly a year, was finally elevated to the top post amid uncertainty about Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s decision on Radha Raturi’s successor. Bardhan had served as the Additional Chief Secretary of the state for over 22 months.

As the March 31 deadline for Raturi’s extended tenure approached, uncertainty loomed over the state government’s stance—whether to grant her a third extension or appoint a new Chief Secretary. Rumours suggested that the Chief Minister wanted Radha Raturi to continue but hesitated due to concerns over the Department of Personnel and Training. According to senior state government officials, the DoPT would have likely turned down any move to grant Raturi a third extension.

A BSc (Honours) graduate with a Diploma in Public Administration, Anand Bardhan is the 19th Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand since the state’s formation. Ajay Vikram Singh was appointed as the state’s first Chief Secretary in 2000.