B Rajender IAS appointed as Director- Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration
Shri B Rajender IAS (Bihar 1996), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Department of Personnel & Training, in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India, by temporarily upgrading the post to Secretary level vice Shri Sriram Taranikanti IAS (TR:92) upon his superannuation on 31.07.2026.
Shri B. Rajender, IAS, is a senior civil servant whose career reflects a rare combination of scientific expertise, extensive field administration and wide-ranging experience in agriculture, rural development, finance, industries, water resources and social welfare. With a professional journey spanning more than three decades, he has served in key assignments in the Government of Bihar, the Government of India and an important international posting related to agricultural cooperation and marketing.
He is currently serving as Principal Secretary in the General Administration Department of the Government of Bihar, holding the rank of Additional Secretary Equivalent. He assumed the position in April 2022. In addition, he has been holding the responsibility of Principal Secretary in the Labour Department of Bihar since June 2023. These assignments place him at the centre of important administrative and personnel-related responsibilities within the state government.
Shri Rajender has a strong academic foundation in agricultural science and plant pathology. He completed his B.Sc. in Agriculture from Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University, Rajendra Nagar, Hyderabad, securing First Division. He subsequently obtained an M.Sc. in Plant Pathology from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, again securing First Division. He further earned a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, also with First Division. His scientific background has remained closely aligned with several important assignments in the agriculture sector during his administrative career.
A significant phase of his career was his tenure as Minister (Agriculture) in Rome under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare from January 2019 to April 2022. This foreign posting involved responsibilities connected with agriculture and cooperation, particularly agricultural marketing. Before this assignment, he served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare from July 2016 to January 2019. His central government experience also includes serving as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
In Bihar, Shri Rajender has held several important senior administrative positions. He served as Secretary in the Urban Development and Housing Development Department and held multiple responsibilities connected with industrial development, infrastructure and finance. His assignments included Managing Director of the State Industrial Development Corporation, Industrial Area Development, Infrastructure Authority and the Bihar Beverage Corporation. He also served as Secretary in the Finance Resources Department and as Secretary in the Rural Works Department, where he dealt with rural infrastructure and development.
His extensive experience in agriculture administration includes serving as Director in the Agriculture Department, Director of the Agriculture and Horticulture Department, and Director of the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department. He also served as Deputy Managing Director of the Bihar Seeds Corporation and Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Board. These responsibilities enabled him to combine his scientific understanding of agriculture with policy implementation and institutional management.
Shri Rajender has also held important assignments in social welfare and social justice. He served as Director in the Social Welfare Department and as Mission Director of the Mahadalit Vikas initiative. These positions involved responsibilities relating to social welfare delivery and development-oriented programmes.
His field administration experience is particularly extensive. He has served as District Collector and District Magistrate in West Champaran, Saran, Patna, Kaimur, Madhubani and Dhanbad. Such assignments gave him substantial exposure to land and revenue administration, law and order, development programmes and public service delivery across diverse districts.
He began his career as Assistant Collector and Assistant Magistrate in Munger and subsequently served as Sub-Divisional Magistrate in Danapur and Jhanjharpur. His early assignments also included responsibilities in the Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department of Bihar.
Shri B. Rajender’s career stands out for the breadth of his administrative experience and the depth of his subject knowledge. A scientist by academic training and an administrator by profession, he has worked across agriculture, rural development, finance, industries, water resources, social welfare and general administration. His long field experience, central government exposure and international agricultural assignment have contributed to a career marked by versatility, institutional understanding and sustained public service.
Indian Bureaucracy News wishes Shri B Rajender the very best.