The Gujarat government announced that Chief Minister Bhpendra Patel appointed former finance secretary Hasmukh Adhia as his chief advisor.
Additionally, the government also appointed former secretary with roads and buildings department of the state SS Rathore to serve as the chief minister’s advisor. Adhia is an IAS officer from the Gujarat cadre, relocated to Delhi in November 2014 after Narendra Modi became prime minister to work as a secretary in the department of financial services.
The two new positions will be filled for as long as the current chief minister is in office or until further instructions, according to the statement.
Former IAS officer from Gujarat Cadre, Adhia retired in November 2018. He currently serves as both chancellor of the Central University of Gujarat and non-executive chairman of the Bank of Baroda. In addition, he serves as vice chairman of the boards of Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute (GERMI) and Pandit Deendayal Energy University and is a member of the Indian Institute of Management’s Bangalore board of governors.
Adhia holds a post-graduate degree in Accountancy. In addition, he holds a gold medal from the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore and a doctorate in yoga from the Bengaluru-based Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana. Notably, he served as finance secretary during the implementation of the Goods & Services Tax (GST) in the nation.