Jaipur, Jan 1 (PTI) Senior IAS officer Sudhansh Pant took charge as the chief secretary of Rajasthan here on Monday and said appropriate steps would be taken to further strengthen the financial position of the state.

The Rajasthan government appointed Pant as chief secretary on Sunday following the retirement of Usha Sharma. Pant will also hold the additional charge of president of Rajasthan State Mines and Minerals Corporation Limited.

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Interacting with reporters, he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma for entrusting him with the responsibility.

"Decisions will be taken in the interest of the state and the country. The administration will work with full devotion and dedication so that the citizens of the state can get relief," he said.

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"Administrative action will be taken.... to create a developed India. Rajasthan will also be a strong pillar of developed India," Pant said, adding that appropriate steps would be taken to further strengthen the financial position of the state.

In response to a question on coordination between the Center and the state, he said, "There will definitely be very good coordination with the Centre. We will continue to get full support from the Centre. I believe that the Central government will be very happy if we can utilise the funds."

A 1991-batch IAS officer, Pant has been in Delhi since December 2022. He was the Union health secretary before being appointed as chief secretary of Rajasthan.

Pant holds a B.Tech degree in Electronics and communications. He has served as district collector in Jaisalmer, Jhunjhunu, Bhilwara and Jaipur besides holding charge as secretary of various departments during his illustrious career.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)