Rajasthan IAS Officer Shikhar Agrawal Faces Scrutiny Over Villa-Cottage Purchases
Rajasthan Government Takes Action Against IAS Officer
File image of IAS officer Shikhar Agarwal(Photo: @padamchoudhary/X)
Jaipur, Oct 29: The Rajasthan administration has placed senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal on Awaiting Posting Orders (APO) due to allegations regarding the acquisition of 40 villa-cottages from a single entity over two and a half years.
The Personnel Department of the state issued the directive late Wednesday, indicating administrative reasons for Agrawal's placement on APO.
This issue revolves around the leasing of 40 villa-cottages from a private firm, with 20 located in Ajabgarh, Alwar district, and another 20 in Bujra, Udaipur district.
Reportedly, the total expenditure for these properties was around Rs 6.16 crore, which were later leased back to the same company. Officials noted that the annual lease rates were set at Rs 4 lakh for each cottage in Bujra and Rs 5 lakh for each villa in Ajabgarh, resulting in an estimated total annual lease income of about Rs 2 crore.
Shikhar Agrawal has held significant roles within the state administration, including serving as the Additional Chief Secretary in the Industries, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Department.
He has also been involved in crucial positions related to industrial growth and investment promotion in Rajasthan. Meanwhile, IPS officer Pankaj Chaudhary has made additional allegations against Agrawal.
Chaudhary claims that a substantial resort project is underway by a private group in Karjat, near Mumbai, in which Agrawal allegedly holds a 50% stake. This project is said to encompass around 400 rooms and involve investments amounting to billions of rupees.
Furthermore, Chaudhary alleged that several companies secured significant contracts during Agrawal's tenure in roles connected to the Rajasthan Chief Minister's Office and the Industries Department.
He has called for an investigation into these transactions and the conditions under which they were finalized.
Referring to previous political comments made by Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal regarding Agrawal's personal affairs, Chaudhary argued that these allegations deserve thorough examination. He cited Beniwal's assertion that a CBI investigation could uncover financial dealings exceeding Rs 1,000 crore.