Mayawati looks for new chief secretary

LUCKNOW - With state elections in sight and to focus on providing good governance, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has sought repatriation of state cadre IAS officer Desh Deepak Verma from the centre to assume charge as the state’s new chief secretary, official sources said.

An officer of the 1978 batch, Verma is currently holding the office of additional secretary-cum-financial advisor in the union ministry of food and public distribution.

According to a top state government source, the chief minister has already shot off a formal letter to the union government to relieve Verma for the prized assignment. She is understood to have called Verma for a discussion before she sent the letter.

Barely a year ago, when he moved to the centre, Verma was the principal secretary (institutional finance) in the Mayawati government here.

The chief minister is understood to have hand-picked Verma, in whom she was ready to repose faith to ensure good governance. She assumed office for the fourth time in May 2007, and with assembly elections due next year the chief minister is keen to do a Nitish Kumar in Uttar Pradesh.

According to a top government source, Verma is rated as an officer with not only high intellect but also with innovative ideas. His rich field experience as district magistrate of four key districts and divisional commissioner of two major divisions was expected to come in handy in improving the delivery systems, which were sluggish and cumbersome.

Verma was district magistrate of Almora, Aligarh, Bareilly and Agra and held the position of divisional commissioner of Allahabad and Lucknow.