In the midst of intense political activity in West Bengal, IAS officer Manoj Pant has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of the state. Manoj Pant will now be one of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s most powerful officials. He hails from Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand. Earlier in July, Rajeev Kumar was appointed as the state’s Director General of Police (DGP). Rajeev Kumar has ties to Uttar Pradesh. Thus, two of Mamata Banerjee’s top officials have significant connections to UP and Uttarakhand.

The central government rejected the proposal to extend B.P. Gopalika’s term by three months. As a result, IAS officer Manoj Pant has been given this new responsibility. Pant, a 1991 batch IAS officer, was previously serving as the Additional Chief Secretary of the Finance Department. He has now been promoted to Chief Secretary.

Special Connections to UP and Uttarakhand

Manoj Pant has served in various departments and as District Magistrate in several districts of West Bengal, including 24 Parganas. He is considered an expert in financial matters and has worked with the Cabinet Secretariat of the Indian Government and the World Bank. In his early career, he spent significant time in Nainital.

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Earlier in July, IAS officer Rajeev Kumar was made the DGP of West Bengal. Kumar is also a close aide of Mamata Banerjee. As DGP, he is responsible for overseeing the state’s police force. Before the Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission had transferred him to a non-electoral position. However, after the elections, he was reinstated as DGP.

Rajeev Kumar is a 1989 batch officer from Uttar Pradesh. In 2019, during the CBI’s investigation into the Sharada chit fund case, the entire TMC (Trinamool Congress) defended him. Mamata Banerjee even sat on a protest against the central government, accusing them of misusing agencies.