New Delhi (PTI): Former defence secretary Ajay Kumar has been appointed chairman of the UPSC, according to a Union Personnel Ministry order.

The post of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) chairman fell vacant after the completion of Preeti Sudan's tenure on April 29.

Kumar's appointment was cleared by President Droupadi Murmu, according to the order issued on Tuesday.

A 1985-batch retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Kerala cadre, Kumar worked as defence secretary from August 23, 2019 to October 31, 2022, according to his service records.

The UPSC conducts civil services examinations to select officers for the IAS, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS), among others. It is headed by a chairman and can have a maximum of 10 members.

At present, posts of two members are vacant in the commission.

A UPSC chairman is appointed for a term of six years or until attaining 65 years of age.

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Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.

The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).

"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.

The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.

The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.

Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.

They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.

Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.