Rajesh Khullar


Rajesh Khullar is a high-ranking Indian official and Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Haryana. Known as “Haryana’s Chanakya,” Khullar's quiet statecraft has long shaped the state’s political calculus, anchoring him at the centre of power. Previously, he served on the board of the World Bank Group as India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka's representative. Khullar belongs to the IAS, India's elite civil service, tasked with commanding policy, governance, and administration nationwide.

Early life and education

Khullar was born on 31 August 1963 in Ambala Cantonment, India, where his father was detailed as an officer of the Indian Army. He earned his bachelor's degree from Kurukshetra University at the age of 17. He went on to receive a Master of Science in Physics, graduating with a gold medal from Panjab University. Khullar was pursuing a Master of Technology at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi when he joined the Indian Police Service in 1987, assigned to the Maharashtra cadre. While training at National Police Academy, Hyderabad, he joined the Indian Administrative Service with Haryana cadre in 1988. Khullar also holds a Master of Public Administration degree from GRIPS, Tokyo, Japan and an Executive Development Program diploma from Harvard Kennedy School. He speaks Punjabi, Hindi, English and Japanese.
File:Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar and Shri Rajesh Khullar.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|310x310px|Khullar with the 14th Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar at the Vice President's Residence in New Delhi on 9 February 2024

Career

As a career bureaucrat, Khullar has served in various capacities in both Government of India and Government of Haryana. These include Joint Secretary, Home Secretary, Municipal Commissioner and District Magistrate among others.
File:The_Joint_Secretary,_Department_of_Economic_Affairs,_Shri_Rajesh_Khullar_and_the_Ambassador_of_Japan_to_India.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|310x310px|Khullar with the Ambassador of Japan to India, Takeshi Yagi on the signing of the Official Development Assistance agreement worth ¥30 billion in New Delhi on 12 November 2013

Government of India

In February 2011, Khullar was appointed Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance. He helped formulate India's Public Private Partnership and Land Monetization policies, developed the structure of India's infrastructure debt funds, and signed key bilateral agreements as Joint Secretary. Khullar demitted office in February 2015 following his repatriation to the state cadre at the request of the newly formed Bharatiya Janata Party government in Haryana, the first of its kind in the state's history.File:The Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Shri Rajesh Khullar and the Director for Asia and Latin America.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|310x310px|Khullar with the Director for Asia and Latin America, Francisco de. Paula Coelho on the signing of €200 million loan between European Investment Bank and the Department of Economic Affairs in New Delhi on 29 April 2014

Government of Haryana

In November 2015, Khullar was appointed Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Haryana. He also served as the Chairman of Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation and Haryana Financial Corporation. In Haryana, Khullar inspired farmers to conserve water, promoted the use of digital governance tools, and designed schemes to curb female foeticide. He demitted office in October 2020 upon his appointment as Executive Director at the World Bank Group by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister of India.
File:Banga Khullar.jpg|alt=|right|thumb|310x310px|Khullar with the 14th World Bank Group President and former Vice Chairman at General Atlantic, Ajay Banga at the World Bank Group headquarters in Washington, D.C., on 1 March 2023

World Bank Group

In September 2020, Khullar was appointed Executive Director at the World Bank Group. He chaired the World Bank Group's Committee on Development Effectiveness and was a member of the Global Environment Facility council, where he represented Nepal and Maldives in addition to India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. As Executive Director, Khullar instituted a new policy for the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman to strengthen environmental and social accountability for the International Finance Corporation and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. He also led a group of 29 countries to pledge $5.3 billion for the Global Environmental Facility to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss. He was recalled to India in March 2023, six months before the end of his term, in preparation for the parliamentary and state elections in 2024. BJP won both elections that year.
File:John Kerry with Rajesh Khullar.jpg|alt=|right|thumb|310x310px|Khullar with the former U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and United States Secretary of State, John Kerry at India House, Washington, D.C., on 14 October 2021

Recognition

In 2009, Khullar was conferred an Award of Excellence under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission for creating India's first social safety umbrella which included savings accounts, insurance, public conveniences and night shelters.
In 2011, Khullar was recognized for developing Aravali Biodiversity Park, Gurgaon, which was declared India's first OECM site in February 2022.
In 2019, Khullar was named in Asia Post's list of top officers in India along with Ajay Kumar Bhalla, former Home Secretary and Ajay Kumar, former Defence Secretary who "have created new benchmarks of performance in public service."

Works

  • Viral Match ISBN 9788129112835
  • Civil Services General Studies Main Examination - A Strategic Approach ISBN 8190214802