MHA rechristens Chandigarh adviser’s post as chief secretary

The charge of adviser to the UT administrator was so far traditionally given to a senior IAS officer from the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre

In a significant development, the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) has abolished the post of the adviser to the UT administrator, replacing it with “chief secretary”.

The ministry issued a notification in this regard on Tuesday. (HT)

The ministry issued a notification in this regard on Tuesday.

The charge of adviser to the UT administrator was so far traditionally given to a senior IAS officer from the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre. Rajeev Verma, a 1992-batch IAS officer of the same cadre, has been holding the charge since January 2024.

It’s worth noting that since Chandigarh became a Union Territory on November 1, 1966, it was headed by a “chief commissioner” till June 1984, when the governor of Punjab took over the direct administration of the UT as the administrator.

Subsequently, the post of “chief commissioner” was converted to adviser to the UT administrator, with the last chief commissioner, K Banerjee, re-designated as the first UT adviser.