PATNA: Bihar's chief secretary Arun Kumar Singh died due to multiple organ failure on Friday after testing positive for COVID-19 at a private hospital. He was admitted more than a week ago after he developed complications in breathing.
Singh was a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre and took charge as chief secretary on February 27 this year after his predecessor Dipak Kumar retired after the end of his first extension.
He was a native of Bihar's West Champaran district and was scheduled to retire this year on August 31.
Prior to being posted as chief secretary, Singh had served in various posts including that of the development commissioner and the director-general in gramin vikash sansthan among others.
Sources said Singh had also served in the water resources department as principal secretary and as secretary in road construction and science and technology department too.
His predecessor Dipak Kumar had been made advisor to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after retirement.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and others at the state cabinet meet, underway at the time of reporting, expressed condolences over the death of the chief secretary.
Meanwhile, the state government has started the process for making an appointment to the post of chief secretary that has fallen vacant after Singh's death.