Rajasthan RAS to IAS Promotion: 16 Officers Promoted, Gopal Ram Birda and Meghna Chaudhary Among Selectees
The Centre has notified the promotion of 16 Rajasthan RAS officers to the IAS, including 13 from the 1998 batch and three from 1999. Four special-selection cases remain pending.
The Central Government has notified the promotion of 16 Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) officers to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), marking an important development in the state’s administrative cadre. The select list includes 13 officers from the 1998 batch and three from the 1999 batch, with the officers currently serving in a range of key departments and administrative institutions across Rajasthan.
The officers included in the promotion list hold positions in the Board of Revenue, Registration and Stamps Department, Tribal Area Development Department, Rajasthan State Information Commission, Jaipur Development Authority and the Chief Minister’s Office, among other establishments. Their elevation to the IAS follows the prescribed promotion process for state civil service officers.
Among the prominent names is Gopal Ram Birda, a 1998-batch RAS officer whose promotion case had reportedly been kept pending due to a departmental inquiry. According to the information available, Birda obtained a court stay on the inquiry, following which the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) decided to grant him promotion.
The latest development is significant for the officers who began their careers in the Rajasthan state administrative service and subsequently became eligible for induction into the IAS. Meanwhile, a separate group of four officers selected through the special selection process is still awaiting the Rajasthan government’s recommendations to the Centre.
Gopal Ram Birda Promoted After Court Stay on Departmental Inquiry
Gopal Ram Birda, a 1998-batch RAS officer currently serving as Additional Director General at Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur, is among the 16 officers whose promotion to the IAS has been notified.
His name had reportedly been kept in a sealed envelope during the selection process because of a departmental inquiry. After obtaining a court stay on the inquiry, Birda’s case was reconsidered, and the DoPT decided to grant him promotion, according to the information provided.
Jawahar Kala Kendra is a prominent cultural institution in Jaipur. Birda’s inclusion in the promotion list marks a significant development in his career after the inquiry had reportedly delayed consideration of his case.
List of 13 Rajasthan RAS Officers From the 1998 Batch Promoted to IAS
The largest group in the latest promotion list comprises 13 officers from the 1998 batch of the Rajasthan Administrative Service. These officers have been serving in different state government departments, administrative bodies and public institutions.
1. Gopal Ram Birda
Gopal Ram Birda is serving as Additional Director General at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur. His promotion follows the court’s stay on the departmental inquiry that had reportedly held up his case during the selection process.
2. Meghna Chaudhary
Meghna Chaudhary, a 1998-batch RAS officer, is serving as Additional Inspector General, Registration and Stamps (Administration), in Ajmer. Her current responsibilities are associated with the administrative functioning of the state’s Registration and Stamps Department.
Her inclusion in the IAS promotion list places her among the officers from the 1998 batch selected for elevation to the central administrative service.
3. Om Prakash Jain
Om Prakash Jain is currently serving as Director of the Tribal Research and Training Institute, Manikya Lal Verma, in Udaipur. The institution is associated with research, training and related work concerning tribal communities and development.
His promotion adds another officer with experience in the tribal welfare and research-related administrative sphere to the IAS select list.
4. Rajesh Singh
Rajesh Singh is serving as a Member of the Board of Revenue in Ajmer. The Board of Revenue is an important state-level institution dealing with revenue administration and related matters. His promotion is part of the elevation of 13 officers from the 1998 RAS batch.
5. Mukesh Kumar Sharma
Mukesh Kumar Sharma is currently serving as Secretary of the Rajasthan State Information Commission in Jaipur. His present assignment involves the administrative functioning of the state information commission.His name has been included among the 1998-batch officers promoted to the IAS.
6. Mahendra Kumar Sharma
Mahendra Kumar Sharma is serving as Joint Secretary in the Technical Education Department in Jaipur. His current responsibilities involve departmental administration in the technical education sector.
His promotion forms part of the latest list of state administrative service officers inducted into the IAS.
7. Anju Rajpal
Anju Rajpal is currently serving as Joint Secretary to the Chief Minister of Rajasthan. Her present assignment places her in a key administrative position within the state government’s central executive establishment.
She is the sister of Manju Rajpal, a 2000-batch IAS officer currently serving as Principal Secretary, Agriculture and Horticulture. Anju Rajpal’s inclusion in the promotion list adds another officer serving in a significant state government assignment to the IAS cadre.
8. Vivek Kumar
Vivek Kumar is serving as Additional Inspector General (Administration) in the Office of the Registration and Stamps Department in Jaipur. His current responsibilities are connected with the department’s administrative operations. He is among the 13 officers from the 1998 batch included in the latest IAS promotion list.
9. Madan Lal Nehra
Madan Lal Nehra is currently serving as a Member of the Board of Revenue in Ajmer. His promotion brings another officer from the 1998 RAS batch serving in the Board of Revenue into the IAS select list.
10. Dinesh Kumar Jangid
Dinesh Kumar Jangid is serving as Joint Secretary in the Animal Husbandry Department in Jaipur. His assignment involves administrative responsibilities in the state’s animal husbandry sector.
His name is included among the 1998-batch officers selected for promotion to the IAS.
11. Poonam Prasad Sagar
Poonam Prasad Sagar is currently serving as Additional Commissioner in the Food and Civil Supplies Department in Jaipur. The department handles matters relating to food distribution and the supply of essential commodities.
Her inclusion in the select list marks her elevation alongside other officers from the 1998 RAS batch.
12. Ummed Singh
Ummed Singh is serving as Officer on Special Duty (SA) to Rajasthan Cabinet Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. According to the information provided, Rathore handles the Industries and Commerce, Youth Affairs, and Sports departments in the state government.
Ummed Singh’s present assignment involves supporting the minister’s administrative and departmental responsibilities. He is among the 13 officers from the 1998 batch promoted to the IAS.
13. Mahaveer Kharadi
Mahaveer Kharadi is currently serving as Additional Commissioner-II in the Tribal Area Development Department in Udaipur. He is also the president of the Rajasthan Administrative Service Association.
His promotion is notable within the state administrative service fraternity, given his association leadership role. Kharadi is the final officer from the 1998 batch named in the reported list of 13 selectees.
Three Officers From the 1999 RAS Batch Also Promoted
In addition to the 13 officers from the 1998 batch, three officers from the 1999 Rajasthan Administrative Service batch have been included in the IAS promotion list. They are serving in administrative and departmental positions in Jaipur.
14. Dr Bhagchand Badhal
Dr Bhagchand Badhal is serving as Additional Commissioner in the Jaipur Development Authority. The authority is responsible for urban planning and development-related functions in Jaipur.
His inclusion brings the number of officers from the 1999 batch in the reported promotion list to one.
15. Aslam Sher Khan
Aslam Sher Khan, a 1999-batch RAS officer, is currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Minority Affairs and Waqf Department in Jaipur. His responsibilities involve departmental administration relating to minority affairs and waqf matters. He is among the three officers from the 1999 batch selected for promotion to the IAS.
16. Narendra Kumar Bansal
Narendra Kumar Bansal is serving as Additional Commissioner in the Jaipur Municipal Corporation. His present assignment involves administrative responsibilities within the city’s municipal governance structure.
Bansal completes the list of three 1999-batch officers included in the reported IAS promotion notification.
Four Officers Selected Through Special Selection Still Await State Recommendation
While the promotions of the 16 RAS officers have been notified, a separate process concerning the induction of officers from other services into the IAS remains pending. According to the information available, the Rajasthan government has yet to forward the names of four officers selected through the special selection process to the Department of Personnel and Training.
Interviews for this selection process were conducted in December 2025. Of the 20 officers who appeared for the interviews, four were selected against vacancies for 2024. However, their names have reportedly not been sent to the DoPT by the state government, despite several reminders and the passage of approximately ten months since their final selection.
The delay has attracted attention because the selection process for the 2025 vacancies is also due. The pending recommendations have therefore become a separate administrative issue alongside the recently notified promotions of the 16 RAS officers.
It is important to distinguish between the two processes. The 16 Rajasthan Administrative Service officers have been included in the notified IAS promotion list, while the four officers selected through the special selection route are awaiting the state government’s recommendation to the Centre.
The information available does not specify the reasons for the delay in forwarding the four names. Further details would need to be confirmed through official communications from the Rajasthan government or the Department of Personnel and Training.
What the Latest Promotions Mean for Rajasthan’s Administrative Cadre
The promotion of 16 RAS officers represents an important career milestone for officers who have served in Rajasthan’s state administration and become eligible for induction into the IAS. Their current assignments cover a wide range of areas, including revenue administration, education, tribal development, food and civil supplies, technical education, municipal governance and the Chief Minister’s Office.
The list includes officers with experience in both departmental administration and public institutions. Gopal Ram Birda’s inclusion is particularly noteworthy because his case had reportedly been held up by a departmental inquiry before a court stay led to reconsideration of his promotion.
At the same time, the pending recommendations for four special-selection candidates highlight a separate stage of the IAS induction process that remains incomplete. The next development in those cases will depend on the Rajasthan government’s submission of the recommendations and the subsequent action by the Centre.
Editorial note: Before publication, verify the official promotion notification and select list to confirm the officers’ names, batches, current designations and effective dates. The account of Gopal Ram Birda’s departmental inquiry and court stay, as well as the status of the four special-selection candidates, is based on the supplied report and should be checked against official records.
