The appointment of Durga Shankar Mishra as Uttar Pradesh chief secretary is likely to create a major upheaval in the state administration.
A 1984 batch IAS officer of the UP cadre, Mishra, who was due to retire on December 31, was given one-year extension in service on December 30 to enable him to take over as UP chief secretary.
An order dated December 29, 2021 issued by Deepti Umashankar, secretary Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, said, "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved repatriation of Durga Shankar Mishra, IAS (UP: 1984) to his cadre for his proposed appointment as chief secretary, Uttar Pradesh, by the state government."
This was probably the first time that an officer was sent back to his parent cadre, stating the post he would hold there.
Currently, Rajendra Kumar Tiwari, a 1985-batch IAS officer, is the chief secretary of UP. He is due to retire in February 2023.
The matter has been hotly discussed in various WhatsApp groups of serving as well as retired officers.
Mishra, known to be a no-nonsense administrator, has come to UP at a time when the state is ready for assembly elections.
Significantly, when he arrived in Lucknow on Thursday, he went straight to attend a meeting with officials of Election Commission before taking charge.
Mishra's appointment, however, has not disturbed the caste equation since he is a Brahmin – like his predecessor, R.K. Tiwari, but definitely more assertive.
Though Tiwari has been empanelled for deputation to the union government, uncertainty prevails over his likely appointment at the Centre.
An electrical engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and an MBA from University of Western Sydney, Mishra has held various important positions with union government as well as government of Uttar Pradesh. He is said to enjoy the confidence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to sources, Mishra has been holding meetings and trying to get a hold of the situation in the state administration before he begins an administrative reshuffle.
A senior IAS officer who has worked with Mishra during the Mayawati regime, said, "He is certainly not a rubber stamp and you can expect fireworks if he is rubbed the wrong way. He will surely make some qualitative changes."
