1986-batch IAS officer Vandita Sharma appointed Karnataka chief secretary

News Network

May 27, 2022

Bengaluru, May 27: The Karnataka government today appointed 1986-batch IAS officer Vandita Sharma as the chief secretary, the senior-most position in the state’s bureaucracy.

Vandita will take over from incumbent P Ravi Kumar on May 31. She will be in office till November 2023. At present, Vandita is the additional chief secretary-cum-development commissioner.

A native of Punjab, Vandita will be Karnataka’s 39th chief secretary. Also, she is the fourth woman to occupy the top post after Theresa Bhattacharya (2000), Malati Das (2006) and K Ratna Prabha (2017).

In her 36-year career, Vandita has occupied several positions. Last year, she was appointed as nodal officer to oversee Covid-19 vaccination in the state. She also worked with the Department of Space at the Centre.

Currently, Vandita is the honorary president of the IAS Officers’ Association of Karnataka. In May 2021, she had written to the then chief minister BS Yediyurappa expressing “strong protest” against the manhandling of young IAS officer V Yashwanth allegedly by the supporters of BJP MLA Satish Reddy.

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‘Nothing for Karnataka’: DKS slams Union Budget, flags Bengaluru neglect

News Network

February 1,2026

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday criticised the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, claiming it offered no tangible benefit to the state.

Though he said he was yet to study the budget in detail, Shivakumar asserted that Karnataka had gained little from it. “There is no benefit for our state from the central budget. I was observing it. They have now named a programme after Mahatma Gandhi, after repealing the MGNREGA Act that was named after him,” he said.

Speaking to reporters here, the Deputy Chief Minister demanded the restoration of MGNREGA, and made it clear that the newly enacted rural employment scheme — VB-G RAM G — which proposes a 60:40 fund-sharing formula between the Centre and the states, would not be implemented in Karnataka.

“I don’t see any major share for our state in this budget,” he added.

Shivakumar, who also holds charge of Bengaluru development, said there were high expectations for the city from the Union Budget. “The Prime Minister calls Bengaluru a ‘global city’, but what has the Centre done for it?” he asked.

He also drew attention to the problems faced by sugar factories, particularly those in the cooperative sector, alleging a lack of timely decisions and support from the central government.

Noting that the Centre has the authority to fix the minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce, Shivakumar said the Union government must take concrete steps to protect farmers’ interests.

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