Usha Sharma (IAS)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Usha Sharma

• Usha Sharma is an Indian civil servant. She is recognised for serving in various significant positions including the Chief Secretary of Rajasthan.

• Usha Sharma is married into a family with a political background. Her brother-in-law, C. P. Joshi, is affiliated with the Indian National Congress and took charge as the Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly in 2019.

• Usha Sharma became an IAS officer after clearing the UPSC examination in 1985 and was assigned to the Rajasthan cadre. In 1989, she took charge as the Sub Divisional Officer in Alwar, Rajasthan and later as an administrator in the Municipal Council of Alwar region.

• On 1 January 1994, she took charge as the Collector and District Magistrate of Bundi district. In October 1999, she was appointed as Ajmer district’s Collector and District Magistrate. In 2003, she took charge as the Commissioner of the Jaipur Development Authority.

• Over the next few years, she monitored various departments such as the Programme Implementation Department, Urban Development & Housing Department, Spinfed & Rajasthan Handloom Development, Industries Department, and Tourism & Civil Aviation Department and gained hands-on experience in their administration.

  

• In 2012, she was appointed as the Additional Director General of Tourism with the Government of India. In 2015, she took charge as the Additional Secretary of the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances.

• In 2017, she took over Rakesh Tewari as the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and held the position till 2020. In 2020, she took charge as the Secretary of the Department of Youth Affairs.

• In 2022, she took over Niranjan Arya to become the Chief Secretary of Rajasthan and was simultaneously assigned additional charge of Rajasthan State Mines and Minerals Ltd., Udaipur.

• Usha Sharma is the 46th Chief Secretary of Rajasthan and the second woman to attain the top bureaucracy post of Rajasthan. Before her tenure, Kushal Singh was the only woman to be designated as the Chief Secretary of the state in the year 2009 under the Ashok Gehlot government.

  

• While serving as the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Usha Sharma oversaw the acquisition of a new headquarters building named Dharohar Bhawan. This facility is equipped with features such as energy-efficient lighting and rainwater harvesting. The inauguration of Dharohar Bhawan took place in 2018, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Chief guest at the event.