CHAUDHERY TO STAY CS TILL DEC

AT HELM He was to retire on June 30

CHANDIGARH: The Centre has extended services of Haryana chief secretary Pradeep Kumar Chaudhery for six months. The 1977-batch IAS officer was due to retire on June 30.

The central government on Friday extended the services of Haryana chief secretary Pradeep Kumar Chaudhery for a period of six months.

Chaudhery, a 1977-batch IAS officer, was due to retire on June 30. He took over as the state chief secretary in April 2012.

Chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had recently written to the central government, seeking extension of service for Chaudhery, an officer whom he had handpicked for the top bureaucratic post in 2012.

Chaudhery’s service has been extended under the provisions of All-India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefit) Rules, 1958. As per Section 16 (1) of Rules, a member of the all-India service holding the post of chief secretary to a state government may be given extension of service for a period not exceeding six months on the recommendation of the state government concerned with full justification and in public interest with the prior approval of the central government.

The provision was inserted in the All-India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefit) Rules, 1958, in November 2005 by way of an amendment after consul- tations with the state governments.

It is learnt that while Chaudhery himself was not too keen to continue as chief secretary after retirement, the chief minister wanted him to carry on. The chief minister in fact had got the 1977-batch IAS officer repatriated from a central assignment in 2012 and appointed him the chief secretary. One of his batch mates, the incumbent chief secretary of Maharashtra, Jayant Kumar Banthia has also been given six months’ extension in service by

the central government.