Utpal Singh named new Uttarakhand chief secretary
The 1986-batch IAS officer will replace R Ramaswamy and will be the 15th chief secretary of the 17-year-old hill state
Senior IAS officer Utpal Kumar Singh will soon take charge as the new chief secretary of Uttarakhand, officials said Tuesday.
According to officials, Singh, a 1986-batch IAS officer currently on a deputation with the Centre, will take charge either on Wednesday or on November 1. He will replace R Ramaswamy and will be the 15th chief secretary of the 17-year-old hill state.
Sources in the secretariat said that late on Monday evening, chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat wrote a letter to the Centre urging it to relieve Singh who was posted as additional secretary in the Union ministry of agriculture.
“He was immediately relieved and may join as the chief secretary either tomorrow (Wednesday) or November 1,” said a senior IAS official who did not wish to be identified.
An Uttarakhand cadre official, Singh belongs to Jharkhand. Sources said he was a favourite in the BC Khanduri-led Bharatiya Janata Party government in the hill state and was principal secretary to the chief minister.
He had also held senior positions in departments like higher education, public works department and power.
The move to replace Ramaswamy, also a 1986-batch IAS officer, comes four days days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kedarnath on October 20.
Principal secretary, personnel, Radha Raturi could not be reached for confirmation despite several attempts.