Jawed Usmani likely to be sworn-in as the next UP CIC on Feb 17

http://www.news18.com/news/uttar-pradesh/lucknow/jawed-usmani-likely-to-be-sworn-in-as-the-next-up-cic-on-feb-17-681811.html

 Jawed Usmani likely to be sworn-in as the next UP CIC on Feb 17

News18 | Gulam Jeelani | Fri Feb 06, 2015 | 12:51 IST

#Lucknow #Uttar Pradesh Former Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Jawed Usmani may finally be sworn in as chief information commissioner (CIC) of UP state information commission on February 17-three months after governor Ram Naik approved the appointment.
A committee headed by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, that had selected Usmani for the CIC post was awaiting green signal from the Centre before the 1978-batch IAS officer could tender his resignation from the service.
“He (Usmani) has now got the Centre’s clearance and would now seek VRS,” said an official spokesperson in Lucknow.
The governor had in November last year given his consent to Usmani’s appointment for the top post in state’s RTI watchdog body, but not before seeking vigilance clearance from the government for the same.

The candidature of Usmani was approved by the selection committee that met here under the chairmanship of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in October last year.
Usmani’s appointment, according to sources, faced hurdles on account of his track record. Besides, the government had apparently sidelined a number of eligible aspirants for the top job in UPSIC - the transparency watchdog while forwarding Usmani’s name. Also a non-profit organization-Transparency, Accountability and Human Rights Initiative for Revolution’ (TAHRIR) had sent a memorandum to the governor warning him against Usmani’, who is due to retire in 2016.
“The delay was due to formalities in seeking clearance from the Centre,” an official said.
The CIC post was vacated after controversial ex-bureaucrat Ranjit Singh Pankaj’s term was over in July 2014. Considered close to Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Usmani was appointed as chief secretary following the party’s landslide victory in 2012, becoming state’s first Muslim to occupy the top bureaucratic position. He was, however, shunted to Board of Revenue soon after the SP’s rout in Lok Sabha elections in May last year.