This is the first time in seven years that CM Yogi has appointed an IAS officer in his good books as the Chief Secretary of the state. 1988 batch IAS Manoj Kumar Singh is not only the most trusted IAS officer of the CM but also counts his name among the sharp officers in the IAS lobby of the state. Manoj Kumar Singh’s tenure will end in July 2025. Manoj Kumar has also assumed charge as Chief Secretary in place of Durga Shankar Mishra on Sunday.
Manoj Kumar Singh was till now posted as Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC), the second most important post in the bureaucracy after the Chief Secretary. Apart from this, he was also handling the responsibility of many departments including Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner, Panchayati Raj Department, CEO UPDA, Horticulture and Food Processing. He also played an important role in the investment agreement of Rs 40 lakh crore in the Global Investors Summit-2023.
CM Yogi had to coordinate with the center
With the name of the new Chief Secretary being decided, the Centre has also given a political message to the state that the command of UP is in the hands of CM Yogi and both the party and the organization will work under his leadership. In the last seven years, from Rajiv Kumar, Anoop Chandra Pandey, Rajendra Kumar Tiwari to Durga Shankar Mishra, the Centre had the last say in deciding the Chief Secretary of the state and CM Yogi had to compromise with them. This is the first time when the CS will be of the CM’s choice and there was no interference of the Centre in his appointment.
The Lok Sabha election results in Uttar Pradesh have become a cause of concern for the BJP and the central government. The party suffered the biggest setback at the place where it was expected to perform the best. After analyzing the election results, it came to light that the party suffered a humiliating defeat in the elections due to the lack of coordination between the government and the organization and the formation of many centers of power. The party took a lesson from this and refused to give extension to Durga Shankar Mishra for the fourth time and gave a free hand to the CM to choose the CS.
This is not the first time an attempt was made to create racial balance
This is in sharp contrast to the BJP’s work culture that both the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary belong to the same caste. This is probably the first time in BJP’s rule that there has been no attempt to maintain a caste balance in the two important posts of the government, CM and CS. Analysts say the reason behind this is to give the CM the freedom to take decisions, which was not seen in the Lok Sabha elections. The Center wants the party to be strong again in Uttar Pradesh and for this a strong leadership is needed.
What is the challenge before the new Chief Secretary?
The biggest challenge before the new Chief Secretary will be to make the state’s bureaucrats people-oriented (working with the public as the central point) and to make the government’s policies visible at the ground level. The result of the Lok Sabha elections also revealed the fact that the arbitrariness of some officers has ruined the party’s chances. At present, after appointing a new Chief Secretary of his choice, the biggest target before CM Yogi is the by-elections to be held on ten seats in UP, which are considered to be a litmus test of the CM’s popularity.
