Agriculture production commissioner Rajendra Kumar Tiwari gets additional charge of UP chief secretary

Rajendra Kumar Tiwari took charge immediately after the government issued an order to this effect. An IAS officer of the 1985 batch, Tiwari has been asked to continue as caretaker CS till the appointment of a regular CS.

Agriculture production commissioner (APC) Rajendra Kumar Tiwari assumed additional charge of chief secretary after the six-month extended tenure of Anoop Chandra Pandey ended on Saturday and the state government could not take a call on the appointment of a regular chief secretary (CS).

Agriculture production commissioner (APC) Rajendra Kumar Tiwari assumed additional charge of UP chief secretary. (File Photo)

Tiwari took charge immediately after the government issued an order to this effect. An IAS officer of the 1985 batch, Tiwari has been asked to continue as caretaker CS till the appointment of a regular CS.

“After the retirement of Pandey on August 31, 2019, you are authorised to discharge the functions and duties of the chief secretary till the appointment of a regular chief secretary,” said the order issued by the department of appointment and personnel.

Tiwari has been holding additional charge of department of higher education, too, as an additional chief secretary since he was appointed the APC early this month. The post of APC remained vacant for around three months before Tiwari was given the responsibility. Prior to his appointment as APC, he was looking after higher education as well as secondary education as an additional chief secretary.

After returning from central deputation during the previous government, Tiwari has headed departments like information technology, commercial tax, panchayati raj and labour. As a principal secretary, labour, he initiated various labour reforms and simplified rules thus improving UP’s ease of doing business rank.