Who is Girish Chandra Murmu? Gujarat-cadre IAS, first L-G of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir

Serving Gujarat cadre IAS officer Girish Chandra Murmu on Thursday took oath as the first Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. The Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal administered the oath office and secrecy to Murmu at an event held at Raj Bhawan at the foothills of the Zaberwan range in Srinagar in the afternoon. Murmu took oath on a day the state was officially bifurcated into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir division, and Ladakh division.

Murmu, who turns 60 next month, is a 1985-batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre. The warrant of appointment of Mumru was read out by Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam. BJP leader Jugal Kishore and Rajya Sabha MP and PDP member Nazir Laway were among the over 250 guests present the function.

Who is Girish Chandra Murmu?

Girish Chandra Murmu is the first Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He succeeds the last Governor of Jammu and Kashmir (a position now abolished) Satya Pal Malik who was made the Governor of Goa.

A 1985-batch IAS officer from Gujarat cadre, Murmu had served as the principal secretary to Narendra Modi when the latter was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Murmu also served as the expenditure secretary in the Ministry of Finance.

Murmu was born on November 21, 1959, in the eastern state of Odisha. At 59, he is one of the youngest Governors in the country. He obtained an MA degree from Utkal University. He also holds an MBA degree from the University of Birmingham.

Murmu is seen as a trusted aide of PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. When Modi won the general elections in 2014 and moved to Delhi, he called Mumru to the national capital and was posted in the Ministry of Finance as a joint secretary in the expenditure department. It is believed that he was a key member of the team that assisted PM Modi in taking crucial decisions.

Murmu is believed to be liked by Modi and Shah because of his ability to get things done correctly. His command over legal strategies is perhaps the reason he has been given the important post in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.

Multiple media reports claim that Mumru besides assisting Modi and Shah in running the government smoothly, also played a crucial role in advising the duo at critical junctures in their political careers. He reportedly oversaw their litigations in the alleged fake encounter case of Ishrat Jahan. Murmu was also quizzed by the CBI in connection with the case.