Retired UP bureaucrat appointed Rajya Sabha secretary-general
A retired IAS officer of the 1978 batch currently posted as chairman of UP Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC), Desh Deepak Verma has been appointed the next secretary-general of the Rajya Sabha.
Desh Deepak Verma, a retired IAS officer of the 1978 batch currently posted as chairman of UP Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC), has been appointed the next secretary-general of the Rajya Sabha.
Verma is expected to assume the new post early next month after he resigns as the UPERC chairman.
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With former UP chief secretary Anup Mishra already working as Lok Sabha secretary general, the top officials of two houses of Parliament will be from Uttar Pradesh.
Verma is expected to assume the new post early next month after he resigns as the UPERC chairman. He will replace Shumsher K Sheriff whose term ends on August 31.
Verma told HT over the phone from Delhi, “I will soon demit the position of UPERC chairman to join as secretary-general, Rajya Sabha.”
As per the notification issued by vice-president and Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, Verma will have a tenure of three years from the date of his joining. The tenure is, however, expendable with no retirement age prescribed for the person holding the post.
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Verma, who has 35 years’ administrative experience, retired in June 2013 as secretary, parliamentary affairs, in the central government. He joined as the UPERC chairman only a few months after retirement from the IAS. He still has around 10 months to retire as the UPERC chief. Earlier, he also served as director general, Sports Authority of India.
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Verma, who has 35 years’ administrative experience, retired in June 2013 as secretary, parliamentary affairs, in the central government. He joined as the UPERC chairman only a few months after retirement from the IAS. He still has around 10 months to retire as the UPERC chief. Earlier, he also served as director general, Sports Authority of India.
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The Rajya Sabha secretary general, who enjoys the rank of cabinet secretary, exercises all the administrative and financial powers with regard to functioning of the upper house.
Coming from Gorakhpur, Verma is a sports buff and was elected Lucknow Golf Club president only a few months ago.
Verma was all set to become the UP’s chief secretary in 2011 but the Mayawati government went back on its decision after getting him relived from the Central deputation.. Later, Anup Mishra, also from the 1978 batch, was appointed chief secretary in place of Atul Gupta who retired on March 31, 2011.
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Mishra has been working as secretary- general of the Lok Sabha since his retirement in 2015.
Brajendra K Parashar is a Senior Journalist with the Hindustan Times, based in Lucknow, with nearly three decades of experience covering governance, public policy, politics and development in Uttar Pradesh. Over the years, he has reported extensively on key sectors, including energy and renewable power, mobility and transport, road safety, agriculture and allied sectors and issues related to farmers, rural development, taxation under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and public administration. A seasoned political correspondent, Parashar closely tracks the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and has covered every major election in Uttar Pradesh right from three-tier panchayat elections and urban local body polls to Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. He also reports regularly on the proceedings of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature, bureaucracy, governance, policy decisions and administrative developments with focus on their impact on public life. His reporting is known for its strong analytical approach, extensive use of official data. His areas of interests include investigative journalism, long-form political and policy analysis, data-driven reporting, elections and institutional reforms. Parashar holds a postgraduate degree in Political Science with First Division from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), followed by a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication from the same university. His inclination towards journalism began during his student days, when he regularly contributed letters to editors and articles to newspapers and magazines. In the mid-1990S, his essay, “Should India Switch Over to the Presidential Form Of Government?”, published in Politics India magazine edited by noted constitutional expert Subhash C Kashyap, was adjudged the best entry in a national competition. His work has received professional recognition, including the Hindustan Times Journalist of the Month Award for an impactful series on drinking water issues during the 2010 Lok Sabha election campaign. Originally from Kasganj in western Uttar Pradesh, Parashar is currently based in Lucknow where continues to report on politics, governance and public policy.
