LUCKNOW, July 15 -- The Uttar Pradesh government has written to the Centre seeking an extension in service for chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh, who is due to retire on July 31. Singh, a 1988-batch IAS officer, was appointed as the chief secretary on June 30, 2024, following the retirement of Durga Shankar Mishra, who had served with a two-and-a-half-year extension.

Sources said the state government has cited Singh's contributions to industrial and infrastructure development, including efforts towards achieving a one trillion-dollar economy goal. The letter also mentions the upcoming Global Investors Summit and Ground Breaking Ceremony planned for later this year.

"In 2019, then chief secretary Anup Chandra Pandey was granted a six-mon...