Jammu and Kashmir governor appoints state's former CIC Khurshid Ganai as his third advisor

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra Friday appointed the state’s former chief information commissioner Khurshid Ganai as his third advisor — the first local face in his top administration. [caption id=“attachment_2038543” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Jammu and Kashmir governor NN Vohra. PTI.[/caption] “The Governor of Jammu and Kashmir is pleased to appoint Mr Khurshid A Ganai, IAS (Retd.) as Advisor to the Governor with effect from the date he assumes charge,” an order issued by the Governor’s administration said. It said the terms and conditions of Ganai’s appointment shall be notified separately. Ganai had on Wednesday resigned as the chief information commissioner (CIC), Jammu and Kashmir. This is for the second time Ganai would serve as an advisor to the Governor. In 2016, he was an advisor to Vohra for a brief period when the state came under Governor’s rule following the demise of the then chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed and the stalemate between PDP and BJP over government formation in the state. Hailing from Mattan village of Anantnag district in south Kashmir, Ganai is an IAS officer of 1982 batch and has held several coveted positions in the state as well as in Central bureaucracy. He also served in the union ministries of information and broadcasting and Home affairs. He was appointed as CIC on 27 February 2017, by the Governor on recommendations of a high-level committee headed by the then Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. Ganai is the first local face in Vohra’s administration. The Governor has already appointed former chief secretary BB Vyas and former DGP CRPF K Vijay Kumar as his advisors on the first day of Governor’s rule in the state. He also appointed BVR Subrahmanyam, a senior IAS officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre, as the state’s chief secretary. The state came under Governor’s rule on June 20, a day after BJP withdrew support to the Mehbooba-led government.