Uttar Pradesh gets a new CIC

 Senior IAS officer Ranjit Singh Pankaj has been appointed new Chief Information Commissioner of Uttar Pradesh, a post lying vacant for past eight months.

His name was approved by Governor T.V. Rajeswar on a recommendation from the State government, official sources said on Saturday .

The government had sent his name to the Governor on June 24 and he gave his consent on Friday, they said.

The 1992-batch officer, who is a Dalit, is at present Secretary, Mines.

The post was lying vacant as the Governor had earlier turned down the government’s recommendation for a retired IAS officer Ram Kumar on the ground that he was allegedly involved in a number of scams and facing corruption charges.

The appointment of Mr. Pankaj as the CIC was objected to by leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Shivpal Singh Yadav, who even boycotted a meeting convened recently by thegovernment to decide his name.

Mr. Yadav had requested the Governor not to consider the recommendation of the government, saying it was “illegal and unconstitutional“.

Thegovernment has also appointed Gyan Prakash Maurya as one of the information commissioners