Manoj Kumar Singh, a senior IAS officer of the 1988 batch from the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has assumed the role of chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh, according to an official announcement on Sunday. He replaces Durga Shankar Mishra, as per the statement.

Singh, previously serving as the agriculture production commissioner, infrastructure and industrial development commissioner, and additional chief secretary of the Panchayati Raj department in Uttar Pradesh, expressed his commitment to serving the state’s 24 crore residents under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s guidance. He highlighted plans to improve organization for the upcoming ‘Mahakumbh 2025’ in Prayagraj, building on his experience overseeing the transformation of the 2019 Kumbh Mela.

Singh’s extensive administrative background includes roles such as district magistrate in Lalitpur, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Pilibhit, Moradabad, and Aligarh, and divisional commissioner in Moradabad. He is recognized as a key figure in Adityanath’s administration.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Singh played a pivotal role in rural virus containment efforts and contributed significantly to the implementation of Adityanath’s ‘BC Sakhi’ scheme, focused on doorstep banking.

Durga Shankar Mishra, a 1984-batch IAS officer, had been serving as chief secretary on an extended term since his scheduled retirement on December 31, 2021, having been repatriated to Uttar Pradesh from his parent cadre.