Odisha-born bureaucrat sworn-in as first LG of Jammu and Kashmir

Bhubaneswar: A day after notification was issued on reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha-born bureaucrat Girish Chandra Murmu was sworn-in as the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of newly formed union territory today.

Murmu was administered oath of the office by the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Gita Mittal at a function held in Srinagar today.

Last week, the 1985-batch Gujarat-cadre IAS officer Murmu was appointed as the first LG of Jammu and Kashmir. The bureaucrat, who hails from Betnoti in Mayurbhanj district, had served as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi while he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He was seen as one of the trusted aides to Modi and Amit Shah during their tenures in Gujarat.

Murmu was also a part of the core team that assisted PM in taking crucial decisions. He was supposed to retire on November 30.

Prior to his appointment as the LG, he was serving as the Expenditure Secretary in the Union Finance Ministry.

Meanwhile, R.K. Mathur, the former Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) who had held the position of the Union Defence secretary, was sworn-in as the LG of Ladakh.

Yesterday, the Union Home Ministry had issued a notification on reconstitution of Jammu and Kashmir into union territory of Jammu & Kashmir and the union territory of Ladakh.

The Home Ministry said, the “State Legislature including Legislative Council of the State” has been abolished and shall from now onwards be construed as “Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir”.

The notification stated that all the provisions of the constitution as amended from time to time have become applicable to the existing Jammu and Kashmir with effect from the August 5, 2019, and any notification issued or order, rule or appointment made during the period between the August 5, 2019 and October 31 are “required to be protected, as if such actions have been taken in accordance with law”.

The two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh come into existence from today, October 31. With this, the total number of states in India decreased to 28 and the number of Union Territories rose to 9.