Jaipur, Oct. 29 -- In a significant administrative development, the Rajasthan government has placed senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Shikhar Agrawal, who was serving as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) for Industries, under 'Awaiting Posting Orders' (APO) amid a brewing controversy surrounding alleged large-scale property acquisitions linked to him and his family.

The order, issued late Wednesday night by the state's Department of Personnel (DoP), stated that the 1993-batch IAS officer has been put on APO till further orders, citing "administrative reasons."

Before being placed on APO, Agrawal held multiple key administrative positions, including Additional Chief Secretary, Industries, Micro, Small and Medium Enterpris...