Gauba, as a young officer, handled the Anti-Sikh riots in October/November 1984. He worked as Deputy Development Commissioner in the predominantly tribal Dumka district. Gauba had a tenure of nearly six years as district magistrate and collector first in Nalanda, then Muzaffarpur and in Gaya. His handling of elections won him notable praise in the difficult elections held in Muzaffarpur in 1994 & 1995 and Gaya in 1996.
In 1996, Gauba moved on deputation to the Government of India, first being posted as Director in Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Gauba was later appointed the Private Secretary (Chief of Staff) to the then Raksha Mantri (Union Defense Minister) Mr. George Fernandes. In this role he helped run the very strategic office at a time when India acquired nuclear capability and won the Kargil war.
For his keen grasp of international economics & policy issues, Gauba was selected for the prestigious post of Sr. Adviser to ED, India, IMF based in Washington. The period 2002-03 was a crucial one for relations between India and the IMF. India agreed to participate in the Financial Transaction Plan of the IMF in late 2002 i.e., it became a creditor to the IMF and has continued to remain a creditor since then. Selection of India by IMF as member of the FTP, for the first time in 2002, sent strong signals regarding the country’s strength and resilience of its external sector to the international community. Gauba returned to the Union Government in 2009 as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change where he set up the National Mission on Clean Ganga.
As Additional Secretary in Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Gauba oversaw the implementation of the National E-Governance Plan. Later as Additional Secretary in Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Gauba was the architect of National Action Plan to combat Left Wing Extremism which has helped to significantly contain this major internal security challenge.
As one of the youngest Chief Secretaries, Gauba set about on an ambitious agenda which involved changing the way the governance system worked. The Government of Jharkhand saw a major downsizing, bringing down the number of departments. Jharkhand was a state of immense potential but had belied hopes. Gauba spearheaded a number of initiatives, the most notable among them being tackling this problem through a combination of proactive policing, and developmental outreach. Young officers were posted as DMs and SPs and improve the reach of police & Government administration. CAPF and State Police camps were established in remote areas and Roads & Bridges were built to promote development. These culminated in significant shrinking of the area under LWE influence.[citation needed]
As an industrial state Jharkhand offered immense potential. To realize this, Ease of Doing Business reforms were carried out in true earnest and in World Bank’s Ease of Bizassessment, Jharkhand leapfrogged to the third position from almost the bottom of the list in 2016. This was done by removing archaic legislations like Agricultural Market Cess and Boiler Room Inspections among others, and by introducing positive changes by way of Labor Reforms. Initial reforms in Jharkhand were viewed with skepticism yet the ethos of governance changed from a negative obstructionist approach and to a positive enabling environment.
Gauba drove interventions aimed at addressing the huge infrastructure deficit in Indian cities/urban areas with focus on water supply, sewerage network and green spaces. As Urban Development Secretary, he helped conceptualize and implement a series of major initiatives for urban transformation such as the Smart Cities Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission and AMRUT Mission.
Gauba also led key initiatives of the Ministry, such as the preparation of the report of The High-Powered Committee On Decongesting Traffic In Delhi – which studied New Delhi’s traffic scenario in-depth and provided a four-pronged strategy for resolution – and it was under his tenure that the Ministry prepared the critical National Policy on Fecal Sludge and Septage Management.
One of the major projects under Gauba was the massive redevelopment project of seven general pool residential accommodations in India’s capital city New Delhi which sought to renew then 12,970 existing homes with 25,667 dwelling units, at an estimated project cost of INR 32,835 crores (operation costs for 30 years).
Home Secretary of India
Gauba with the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs of Myanmar, Aung Thu in October 2018
During Gauba’s tenure, the Government of India undertook historic step of abrogation of the Article 370 and reorganization of J&K State. Gauba closely monitored and managed the on-ground situation. One of the major actions to ensure these changes were implemented was the banning of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, which has been at the forefront of separatist activities and violence since 1988. Gauba’s greatest success was the peaceful abolition of Art 370 and his management of the on-ground situation in Kashmir.
Gauba as Union Home Secretary ensured effective implementation of the LWE strategy that he had conceptualized earlier. The renewed focus on mitigating and then combating the LWE menace across the country. Gauba is credited for significantly rationalizing the weapons and equipment procurement process for Central Armed Police Forces (CPRF, BSF), removing bulging procedural layers and empowering Commandant level officers with financial powers.
Rajiv Gauba took over as Cabinet Secretary from Pradeep Kumar Sinha on 30 August 2019.[3]
Personal life
His wife Pammi Gauba[22] is Dean & Head of the Department, Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology.[23] Gauba has a son and a daughter.[citation needed]
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