UP CS likely to get extension

Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh, an IAS officer of the 1988 batch and slated to retire on July 31, can get service extension. The UP government has written a letter to the Central government requesting the extension of the service of the Chief Secretary.

Sources here on Thursday said that a reply from the Centre is expected by next week.

Advertisement

Singh is scheduled to retire on July 31, 2025. He was appointed to the top position of the state on June 30, 2024, after the retirement of Durga Shankar Mishra.

Former IAS Durgashankar Mishra also got the service extension twice for one year and for the third time for 6 months. In this way, he got two and a half years of service extension.

Now, the UP government has cited Singh’s contributions to industrial and infrastructure development, including efforts towards achieving a one trillion-dollar economy goal.

Currently, Mr Singh is handling several important responsibilities like the infrastructure and the Industrial Development Commissioner, the President of Pradeshiya Industrial & Investment Corporation of Uttar Pradesh Limited (PIKP), the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority(UPEIDA), the CEO of Upasha, and the Project Director of Uttar Pradesh Diversified Agriculture Support Project (UP DASP).

If the central government does not give an extension, then the possible contenders include Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister, SP Goel, and Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The present Agricultural Production Commissioner( APC) and 1990 batch officer Deepak Kumar is also considered a strong candidate for this post.