FPJ on February 28, 2020, had reported that Maharashtra Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta would get an extension of three months and had written to the Centre seeking the same. On Saturday, March 28, exactly a month later, FPJ's reportage holds true.
In a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary, the Government of India said that Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta, whose term ends on March 31, will be given a 3 month extension i.e, from April 1 to June 30.
The letter noted that the extension is due to the health emergency (coronavirus pandemic) which has arisen in the country. The deadly novel coronavirus has claimed the lives of 28,244 and infected 614,454 people globally so far. Meanwhile, in Maharashtra 8 new positive cases were reported on Saturday, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the state to 167.
Earlier, a Maha Vikas Aghadi minister had told FPJ that the Maharashtra government had written a letter to the Centre seeking another three months extension for Mehta. "The state government has recently sent a letter to the Department of Personnel and Training seeking three months extension for Mehta. So far, there is no communication. If the state government does not get any communication until March 31, he will superannuate on the same day,'' he said.
Mehta, an IAS of 1984 batch, was appointed as the state chief secretary by the BJP-led government on May 10 last year. He was to retire on September 30, but the previous Devendra Fadnavis-led government gave him a six-month extension in view of the assembly election.
