Shalini Rajneesh to be new Chief Secretary of Karnataka

Bengaluru: Shalini Rajneesh will be the new Chief Secretary of Karnataka, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said on Friday.

The 1989 batch IAS officer will succeed her husband and outgoing Chief Secretary Rajneesh Goel, who is scheduled to retire on July 31.

“The Cabinet had authorised the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to decide on the appointment of the new Chief Secretary. He has finalised the name of the now Additional Chief Secretary to government Shalini Rajneesh and informed the Cabinet today,” Patil told reporters here.

The first couple to hold the post in Karnataka were B K Bhattacharya and his wife Teresa Bhattacharya more than two decades ago.

Shalini Rajneesh was the woman topper of the 1989 IAS batch, according to official sources. A Ph.D. in Rural Development, she has penned several books covering various subjects like Management, Personality Development, and Women Empowerment.