Shikhar Agrawal is a 1993-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Rajasthan cadre who has served in district administration, state government departments and the Central Government. An engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, he has held important administrative positions in revenue, finance, urban development, water resources, employment and industrial development.
During his career, Agrawal served as Collector and District Magistrate in several Rajasthan districts and later became Commissioner of the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA). He also worked on central deputation in the Union Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labour and Employment. In February 2024, he was appointed Additional Chief Secretary to Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. He subsequently moved to senior industrial-development and investment-related responsibilities.
On 28 October 2026, the Rajasthan government placed Agrawal on Awaiting Posting Orders (APO) until further orders, relieving him of his existing responsibilities. The order cited administrative reasons. The development came after media reports raised questions about property transactions involving Agrawal and members of his family. The allegations have not, on the basis of the publicly available reports reviewed for this article, been established as findings of official misconduct.
IAS Shikhar Agrawal: Profile
| Particular | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Shikhar Agrawal |
| Service | Indian Administrative Service (IAS) |
| Batch | 1993 |
| Cadre | Rajasthan |
| Officer Identity Number | 01RJ028801 |
| Educational Qualification | B.Tech. in Civil Engineering |
| Institution | Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur |
| Home City | Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh |
| Previous Senior Position | Additional Chief Secretary, Industries and related departments, Rajasthan |
| Latest Reported Status | Awaiting Posting Orders (APO) |
| Scheduled Retirement | Not stated here because the exact date could not be independently confirmed from a current official record |
Education and Entry into the IAS
Shikhar Agrawal completed a Bachelor of Technology degree in Civil Engineering from IIT Kanpur before joining the Indian Administrative Service. He belongs to the 1993 batch and was initially posted in Tripura. His early assignments included positions in South Tripura and Dhalai district, where he worked in field administration and rural development.
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In 1998, he moved to the Rajasthan cadre. His subsequent assignments covered district administration, state secretariat departments and public-sector organisations. These early postings formed the basis of a career that later expanded into urban development, revenue administration, water resources and industrial policy.
IAS Shikhar Agrawal Posting Timeline Details
| Date Range | Post and Department Name |
|---|---|
| 1 June 1994 – 1 September 1995 | Assistant Collector, South Tripura |
| 1 September 1995 – 13 May 1997 | Sub-Divisional Officer / Sub-Divisional Magistrate, South Tripura |
| 1 April 1997 – 1 June 1998 | Project Director, District Rural Development Agency, Dhalai, Tripura |
| 1 June 1998 – 1 October 1998 | Additional District Magistrate, North Tripura |
| October 1998 | Awaiting Posting Orders following cadre transfer |
| 24 October 1998 – 23 January 1999 | Deputy Secretary, Command Area Development Department, Rajasthan |
| 23 January 1999 – 25 August 1999 | Deputy Secretary, Finance Department, Rajasthan |
| 26 August 1999 – 15 July 2000 | Additional Collector and Additional District Magistrate, Jaipur |
| 17 July 2000 – 31 May 2002 | Collector and District Magistrate, Jalore |
| 1 June 2002 – 30 May 2003 | Collector and District Magistrate, Hanumangarh |
| 31 May 2003 – 19 January 2004 | Deputy Secretary, Industries Department, Rajasthan |
| 19 January 2004 – 27 June 2005 | Managing Director, Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited |
| 28 June 2005 – 5 November 2007 | Collector and District Magistrate, Udaipur |
| 15 November 2007 – 5 February 2008 | Special Secretary, Public Health Engineering Department, Rajasthan |
| 6 February 2008 – 31 December 2008 | Collector and District Magistrate, Bikaner |
| 1 January 2009 – 29 March 2009 | Member, Board of Revenue, Ajmer |
| 30 March 2009 – 17 October 2011 | Director, Department of Revenue, Union Ministry of Finance |
| 18 October 2011 – 31 May 2013 | Private Secretary to the Adviser to the Prime Minister on the National Council on Skill Development |
| 31 May 2013 – 31 January 2014 | Director General, Employment and Training, Union Ministry of Labour and Employment |
| 4 February 2014 – 7 November 2016 | Commissioner, Jaipur Development Authority |
| 7 November 2016 – 20 January 2017 | Secretary, Water Resources Department, Rajasthan |
| 20 January 2017 – 19 December 2018 | Principal Secretary, Water Resources Department, Rajasthan |
| 31 December 2018 – 2 November 2020 | Member, Board of Revenue, Ajmer |
| 2 November 2020 – 15 November 2021 | Principal Secretary, Tribal Area Development Department, Rajasthan |
| 15 November 2021 – 16 April 2022 | Chairman, Rajasthan Civil Services Appellate Tribunal |
| 18 April 2022 – December 2022 | Principal Secretary, Environment and Forest Department, Rajasthan |
| December 2022 – February 2024 | Additional Chief Secretary, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department, Rajasthan |
| February 2024 – November 2025 | Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister, Rajasthan |
| November 2025 – October 2026 | Additional Chief Secretary, Industries, MSME, State Enterprises, investment promotion and related portfolios |
| 28 October 2026 | Placed on Awaiting Posting Orders (APO) |
Major Administrative Assignments
District Administration
Agrawal served as Collector and District Magistrate in Jalore, Hanumangarh, Udaipur and Bikaner. These assignments involved district-level administration and coordination of government departments. Before these postings, he held administrative responsibilities in Tripura and worked in Rajasthan’s Command Area Development and Finance departments.
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Jaipur Development Authority
In February 2014, Agrawal became Commissioner of the Jaipur Development Authority. He held the position until November 2016. The JDA is responsible for planned urban development in Jaipur and surrounding areas.
During his tenure, the authority’s actions involving the Rajmahal Palace property and the removal of structures affecting the Jaipur Metro project attracted public and legal attention. The Rajmahal Palace dispute involved contested land rights and court proceedings. Such reported disputes should be described in their legal and administrative context rather than treated as findings of personal wrongdoing.
Central Government Deputation
Agrawal served in the Union Government from 2009 to early 2014. His assignments included Director in the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance, work connected with the Prime Minister’s National Council on Skill Development, and Director General of Employment and Training in the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
After returning to Rajasthan in 2014, he resumed state-government responsibilities, first as Commissioner of the Jaipur Development Authority and later in the Water Resources Department and other senior administrative roles.
Senior Responsibilities in Rajasthan
Agrawal became Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma in February 2024. In November 2025, he was assigned senior responsibilities covering industries, MSME, state enterprises, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, investment promotion and related areas.
His responsibilities included chairpersonship of the Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO) and leadership roles associated with other state industrial and investment bodies.
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