Raipur
Senior IAS officer Vikas Sheel, a 1994-batch officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre, has been relieved from his central deputation and is set to take charge as the new Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh. The General Administration Department (GAD) has released an order to this effect on Thursday.
Sheel, who hails originally from Uttar Pradesh and later settled in Garhwal, Uttarakhand, has served in several key administrative roles in the state, including Collector of Bilaspur and Raipur, as well as Secretary in various departments.
Vikas Sheel, whose full name is Vikas Sheel Gupta, was born on June 10, 1969. After completing his B.E. in Electrical Engineering, he pursued a Master’s in Electrical Engineering (M.E.). He joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) on September 4, 1994. Later, he enhanced his academic credentials with a Master’s and Executive Master of Public Administration and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Health Service Management and Policy from Syracuse University, USA.
Vikas Sheel is married to Nidhi Chibber, also a 1994-batch IAS officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre. A native of Haryana, Chibber has held several significant positions. In May 2025, she was appointed as the Director General of the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) in NITI Aayog. The couple, both batchmates, have been prominent figures in Indian bureaucracy.
Sheel began his career in the Madhya Pradesh cadre, and after the formation of Chhattisgarh state, he opted for the Chhattisgarh cadre.
Over the years, he has served in multiple key roles:
- SDM, Janjgir, during his training period.
- Collector of Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh’s judicial capital.
- Collector of Raipur (April 2007 – April 2008).
- Held several positions as Secretary in various state departments.
At the Centre, he has held significant assignments:
- Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- Additional Secretary & Mission Director, Jal Jeevan Mission, Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.
- Advisor to the Executive Director at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) since January 2024, until his recent formal release.
On September 13, 2025, Sheel was formally relieved from ADB, and he is now set to take over as the Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh.
