UP Chief Secretary removed, Alok Ranjan appointed in his place

Lucknow: The Akhilseh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh today removed Chief Secretary Javed Usmani and appointed Alok Ranjan in his place. A 1978 batch IAS officer, Ranjan, who assumed office this evening, said he would try to ensure clean administration. “I will try to ensure clean administration and deal with problems like power crisis. I will emphasise on team work,” he told reporters. [caption id=“attachment_1551495” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Alok Ranjan taking charge as UP chief secretary. PTI[/caption] No official reason has been cited for Usmani’s removal though the Samajwadi Party-led government has been shuffling both IAS and PCS officers after the party’s debacle in the Lok Sabha polls. Prior to his new assignment, Ranjan, who is a graduate from Delhi’s St Stephen’s college and MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad, was Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner (IIDC) and Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC) of the state. PTI