Tushar Giri Nath Named Additional Chief Secretary to Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar

Tushar Giri Nath, a 1993-batch IAS officer, has been appointed Additional Chief Secretary to Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, according to a notification issued by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms hours after Shivakumar's swearing-in as the state's 34th Chief Minister. Giri Nath was previously Additional Chief Secretary in the Urban Development Department and retains concurrent charge of that department alongside his new posting.

The Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister functions as the administrative anchor of the Chief Minister's Secretariat, coordinating policy execution, inter-departmental correspondence, and communication with the Union government. A follow-up order issued days later assigned Giri Nath oversight of a wide portfolio under this post, including Finance, Urban Development, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Water Resources, Forest and Environment, Public Works, Home, Commerce and Industries, Information Technology, Energy, and Infrastructure Development, along with transfer and service matters across these departments.

Giri Nath has built his career largely around Karnataka's urban governance apparatus, having held the Urban Development portfolio at the Additional Chief Secretary level before this appointment. His continued charge of that department while taking on the CM Secretariat role reflects an emphasis on administrative continuity in ongoing city infrastructure and Bengaluru-focused programmes rather than a clean handover to a successor.

He succeeds Anjum Parwez, a 1994-batch officer who had held the post since June 2025. Parwez himself had taken over the position after L.K. Atheeq's retirement; Atheeq has since returned in a different capacity, appointed Financial Adviser to the Chief Minister with pay parity to the state's Chief Secretary.

The reshuffle extended beyond Giri Nath's appointment. P Rajendra Cholan, a 2008-batch IAS officer previously Secretary to the Deputy Chief Minister, was named Secretary to the Chief Minister and separately retains charge as Managing Director of Karnataka Power Corporation Limited, a move that relieves bureaucrat Gaurav Gupta of that additional energy responsibility.

The appointments came as part of Shivakumar's immediate restructuring of the Chief Minister's Office on taking charge, alongside the retention of political strategist Sunil Kanugolu as Chief Adviser from the previous administration. The pairing of an experienced Additional Chief Secretary with a broad cross-departmental portfolio and a dedicated Secretary to the Chief Minister mirrors the structure used by the outgoing government.

All appointments took effect immediately from the date of the DPAR notification.