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Mishra, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary, was set to retire on December 31. Mishra's repatriation was approved by the Cabinet Appointments Committee, according to a DoPT order.

The government on Wednesday named 1984-batch UP cadre IAS Durga Shankar Mishra as the state's Chief Secretary, with the goal of conducting the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections "seamlessly." With his appointment, it's evident that the government 'wants' to put Mishra's 'administrative supervision over the vital UP Assembly elections.

 He is currently the Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and is known for speeding up Metro projects in various states, including Uttar Pradesh. Mishra is also the President of the IAS Association and the Chairman of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

"The Cabinet Appointments Committee has authorized repatriation of Durga Shankar Mishra, lAS (UP: 1984) to his cadre for his proposed appointment as Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh by the state government of Uttar Pradesh," the DoPT said in its order.

 "When a senior bureaucrat is appointed to the top post of state just has to send a request to the DoPT for the extension of the concerned officer's service," a senior official said, adding that Chief Secretary-level officers typically get a six-month extension, which may be extended for another few months.

 Notably, the current Chief Secretary, Rajendra Kumar Tiwari, is a 1985-batch UP cadre officer with over a year of service remaining before retirement. Tiwari is expected to be sent to the Central Deputation, according to official sources.

The Chief Secretary is a state's top executive official who serves as the state government's chief advisor on all administrative affairs.