Alok Ranjan is officiating chief secretary

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday appointed agriculture production commissioner Alok Ranjan officiating chief secretary in the absence of Jawed Usmani. The top civil servant will remain in command of the state until Usmani returns from a four-day tour to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and urban development minister Azam Khan have been invited to make a presentation on Kumbh mela.
On Tuesday, the departure of the chief minister and his team also sparked off rumours of senior Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav being appointed caretaker CM in Akhilesh's absence.
The rumours were also fuelled by a meeting between the senior minister and Akhilesh at the CM's residence hours before his departure to New Delhi. In the absence of any official orders, however, party spokesperson, Rajendra Chaudhary said no such decision had been implemented.
He also said all policy decisions will remain on hold until Akhilesh returns from USA on April 27. Akhilesh and Khan, along with the team of senior officials, will participate in a two-day symposium on Kumbh, being hosted by the Harvard University.