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New Delhi: The Rajasthan Government has placed senior IAS officer Shikhar Agrawal on Awaiting Posting Orders (APO), relieving him of key portfolios covering industries, MSMEs and investment promotion amid media reports questioning property transactions involving his family.
According to a Department of Personnel order dated October 28, Agrawal, a 1993-batch Rajasthan cadre IAS officer, has been placed on APO on administrative grounds until further orders. The order, signed by Joint Secretary Dheeraj Kumar Singh, does not cite the property controversy or mention any disciplinary proceedings.
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Before the order, Agrawal was serving as Additional Chief Secretary for Industries, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), State Undertakings, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and Investment Promotion. He also held responsibilities relating to Non-Resident Rajasthani Affairs and the Bhiwadi Integrated Development Authority, besides heading RIICO and RAJSICO.
The order relieves him of these assignments and directs him to report to the Department of Personnel.
The administrative move follows media reports alleging that Agrawal, his wife, senior IPS officer Prashakha Mathur, and other family members acquired 40 villas and cottages from Goyal Fashions Private Limited over approximately two-and-a-half years.
According to the reports, the transactions involved two resort properties in Rajasthan. The family reportedly purchased 20 cottages at Ananta Resort in Bujhda, Udaipur, for Rs 3 crore in September 2023 and 20 villas at Ananta Resort in Ajabgarh, Alwar, for Rs 3.16 crore in March 2026.
The reported combined acquisition value was Rs 6.16 crore.
The reports further alleged that the properties were leased back to the same company. The agreements reportedly provided for annual rentals of Rs 80 lakh for the Udaipur cottages and Rs 1 crore for the Alwar villas, taking the combined annual rental value to Rs 1.80 crore.
These figures imply a gross annual rental yield of about 29.2 percent on the reported acquisition cost, before expenses, taxes and other liabilities. The rental amounts are reported contractual values and should not be treated as independently verified income received.
Media reports have also raised questions about whether all the properties were reflected in the annual immovable property returns filed by the officers.
According to the reports, 28 properties were registered in the names of Agrawal and Mathur, while 14 were reportedly reflected in the declarations examined by journalists.
Agrawal has reportedly maintained that the purchases were disclosed in the relevant property returns and income tax documents. He has attributed the apparent discrepancy in his wife's declaration to a technical issue involving an attachment.
The claims have not been conclusively resolved through any publicly reported official inquiry.
The controversy has also drawn attention to Goyal Fashions Private Limited's reported investment proposal under the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme (RIPS).
Media reports said the company received an incentive package for a hotel and resort project in Alwar involving a proposed investment of at least Rs 115 crore and employment commitments covering 241 people.
The issue has attracted attention because Agrawal held senior responsibilities for industries and investment promotion. However, the available reports do not establish that he improperly influenced the grant of incentives or that the property transactions were connected to any government decision.
Establishing whether any conflict of interest arose would require examination of the relevant investment approvals, official files, property agreements and financial disclosures.
An engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur, Agrawal belongs to the 1993 batch of the IAS and has served in several key positions in Rajasthan and the Central government.
His assignments have included district collector postings in Jalore, Hanumangarh, Udaipur and Bikaner, as well as roles in urban development, water resources and industrial administration. He also served on central deputation between 2009 and 2014.
In February 2024, he was appointed Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. He moved out of the Chief Minister's Office in November 2025 and subsequently handled industries, investment promotion and related portfolios.
Agrawal's placement on APO removes him from these responsibilities for now. However, an APO order on administrative grounds does not, by itself, establish misconduct or amount to a finding of guilt.
The key outstanding questions concern the completeness of the property disclosures, the terms of the reported lease agreements and the circumstances surrounding the company's investment incentives. The Department of Personnel order does not indicate whether a formal inquiry into these matters has been initiated.
An engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur, Agrawal belongs to the 1993 batch of the IAS and has served in several key positions in Rajasthan and the Central government.
His assignments have included district collector postings in Jalore, Hanumangarh, Udaipur and Bikaner, as well as roles in urban development, water resources and industrial administration. He also served on central deputation between 2009 and 2014.
In February 2024, he was appointed Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. He moved out of the Chief Minister's Office in November 2025 and subsequently handled industries, investment promotion and related portfolios.
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Agrawal's placement on APO removes him from these responsibilities for now. However, an APO order on administrative grounds does not, by itself, establish misconduct or amount to a finding of guilt.
The key outstanding questions concern the completeness of the property disclosures, the terms of the reported lease agreements and the circumstances surrounding the company's investment incentives. The Department of Personnel order does not indicate whether a formal inquiry into these matters has been initiated.
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