J&K gets new Chief Secretary, first from AGMUT cadre

Sajjan Singh Yadav, a 1995-batch IAS officer, will succeed Atal Dulloo, who retires on October 31, as the Union Territory's top bureaucrat from November 1.

Sajjan Singh Yadav, a 1995-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, will be the new Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, according to an order issued by the Central Government on Saturday. Yadav will be the first AGMUT cadre IAS officer to be Chief Secretary.

AGMUT stands for Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories. It is a joint cadre for IAS and IPS officers serving these states and union territories.

The order, issued by Anish Muraleedharan, Director (S) in the Ministry of Home Affairs, with the approval of the competent authority, states that his appointment will take effect from "November 1 or from the date he assumes charge, whichever is later".

Yadav, who will succeed incumbent Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, retiring on October 31, is currently posted as Additional Chief Secretary and CEO Secretary of the Delhi Jal Board.

Hailing from Haryana, Yadav will be the first AGMUT cadre IAS officer to head the bureaucracy in Jammu and Kashmir. His appointment marks a significant change in the administrative leadership of the Union Territory.

Dulloo, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the Jammu and Kashmir cadre, was appointed Chief Secretary on December 1, 2023. However, he ran into controversy last month after writing to J&K Legislative Assembly Speaker A R Rather opposing the introduction of a resolution by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah seeking the restoration of statehood. The move triggered an uproar in the Assembly, with even Peoples Democratic Party legislator Waheed Parra serving notice of a motion of privilege against Dulloo.

Before the controversy, there had been speculation that Dulloo's tenure might be extended, given his roots in Jammu and Kashmir and long service in the erstwhile state, as well as his Kashmiri Pandit background and close links with a local BJP leader.

Dulloo's first posting after joining the IAS was as Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Ladakh in 1991. He subsequently served as SDM in Reasi in 1992-93, when it was part of Udhampur district. In 1993, he was appointed Deputy Secretary in the Health Department and, during 1993-95, was posted at Raj Bhavan.

He later served as Deputy Commissioner in various districts across Jammu and Kashmir.

Between 1998 and 2009, Dulloo attended several training programmes on infrastructure development, institutional financing, negotiation strategies in public-private partnerships and e-governance.

He subsequently held various posts as Financial Commissioner in Jammu and Kashmir departments, including Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education, Finance, Horticulture and Agriculture, and Cooperation.

Before his appointment as J&K Chief Secretary, Dulloo served as Secretary, Border Management, in the Ministry of Home Affairs.