Senior IAS officer P Ravi Kumar has been appointed as the next Chief Secretary of Karnataka, a government notification confirmed. He is 58 and will succeed TM Vijaya Bhaskar who will retire on Thursday from the top post. Ravi Kumar is from the 1984-batch of Karnataka cadre officer and has been serving as the Additional Chief Secretary to the government since September along with the additional charge of Additional Chief Secretary to IT/BT and Science and Technology Departmnt.

The state government is yet to announce who will take charge of Ravi Kumar’s current responsibilities. Ravi Kumar was a favourite for the post given his position as Additional Chief Secretary to the government which is considered as second in line. In his previous roles, he has served as an Additional Chief Secretary (Power), Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister of Karnataka among other top posts.

Bhaskar who was the top bureaucrat in the state since the Chief Ministership of HD Kumaraswamy was given a celebratory send off by the government. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa participated in the send-off at an event held in the state Secretariat on Monday. He had assumed charge as Chief Secretary in June 2018. But unlike his predecessor, Ratna Prabha, he is not going to have an extended stay in his position. In fact, ex-CM HD Kumaraswamy had sought another three month extension for Ratna Prabha but later retracted the decision. Following her retirement from the IAS, Ratna Prabha is currently acting as the Chairperson of Karnataka Skill Development Authority.

Bhaskar is an IAS officer of  the1983 batch of Karnataka cadre and had served in various capacities. Importantly, he had served as the administrator of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Administrator, Chairman of the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Rural Development and Panchyati Raj.