Lucknow: Shashi Prakash Goyal has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh after the Centre declined to grant an extension to the outgoing officer, Manoj Kumar Singh. Goyal, a 1989 batch IAS officer, officially took charge on Thursday, putting an end to days of administrative uncertainty.
Key Bureaucratic Role for CM Loyalist
Goyal previously served as Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister and has held key roles in the state bureaucracy. Known for his proximity to the CM's office, he had been functioning as a central figure in governance since the early years of the current administration.
Manoj Kumar Singh, appointed Chief Secretary on June 30, 2024, retired on Thursday. The state government had written to the Centre in early July requesting a one-year extension for Singh, but no approval was granted.
Smooth Transition Amid High-Level Presence
In the past, the Centre had approved last-minute service extensions for former Chief Secretaries such as Anup Chandra Pandey and Durga Shankar Mishra. This time, however, no such communication arrived, and Goyal’s appointment was announced shortly after Singh’s retirement.
Senior officials, including Singh, were present as Goyal assumed office, marking a transition that had been widely anticipated within bureaucratic circles.
