Alok Ranjan appointed new UP Chief Secy

The Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday 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 media persons in Lucknow.

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, a graduate from Delhi's St Stephen's college and MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad, was Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner and Agriculture Production Commissioner of the state.