Durga Shankar Mishra takes charge as chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh

Durga Shankar Mishra, who was set to retire on December 31, has been entrusted with this vital task ahead of the 2018 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Durga Shankar Mishra, the newly-appointed Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, took responsibility here on Thursday and promised to work hard to bring the government's many programmes to the people.

Mishra, an IAS officer from the 1984 batch who was about to retire on December 31, was given the vital task ahead of the approaching Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Mishra, the Union housing and urban affairs secretary, was deported to his parent cadre Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, only two days before his retirement, after the Yogi Adityanath government offered to install him as the new chief secretary.

He succeeded Rajendra Kumar Tiwari, an IAS officer from the 1985 class who is set to retire in February 2023. Mishra's contract has been extended for another year.

Mishra told reporters shortly after taking office that he would work hard to bring the government's numerous programmes to the people.

"This responsibility is a chance to serve all the people of my state," he said.

Mishra thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for entrusting him with the task, saying he has watched the country's extraordinary transformation over the last seven years.

He added that when Adityanath became chief minister in 2017, Uttar Pradesh was behind on work linked to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, but that the situation has much improved since then.