AUTHOR VINAY KOCHHAR.CHANDIGARH.
Senior IAS officer of 1993 batch of Punjab government, Shiv Prasad will take voluntary retirement (VRS). The government has approved his application. At present, he is posted as Additional Chief Secretary to the Governor of Punjab. Earlier he was to retire in 2030. In such a situation, he can retire in the month of February.
Applied during Congress government as well
Earlier, he had applied for VRS even when Captain Amarinder Singh was the Chief Minister, but later he withdrew the application. This time he applied in December 2024. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann tried to persuade him to withdraw the application, but he remained adamant.
Prasad is also a relative of former Lok Sabha Speaker GMC Balayogi. It is likely that he will join hands with an NGO. Prasad is also known for his literary interest. He has also written a book on the influence of the Bhagavad Gita in modern life.
Last year, three officers had taken VRS
Earlier, two IAS and IPS officers of Punjab Police had also taken VRS. These included IAS officers Karnail Singh and Parampal Singh Sidhu. 2011 batch IAS officer Parampal Kaur contested the Lok Sabha elections from Bathinda on a BJP ticket.
Similarly, 1995 batch IPS officer Gurinder Singh Dhillon had taken VRS and joined Congress just before the Lok Sabha elections. He was then on the post of ADGP Law and Order in Punjab Police.