Yogi Adityanath Govt. transfers 20 IAS officers

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 12 (ANI): The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday transferred 20 senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, including Navneet Sehgal and Rama Raman, who were considered influential in the previous regime that was headed by Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav. This is the first administrative rejig by the Yogi Adityanath government. Sehgal was shifted out as Principal Secretary for Tourism, Information and Religious Affairs. He has also been divested of the post of CEO of the Uttar Pradesh State Highway Authority (UPSHA) and the Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Authority (UPEIDA). All his charges have been handed over to Avanish Awasthi, who returned from central government deputation. Anita Singh, who had a five-year stint as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, has also been transferred. Rama Raman, Principal Secretary in Industrial and Infrastructure Development Department and Chairman of Noida Authority, has also been put in the officers waiting for a new posting. Meerut Divisional Commissioner Alok Sinha has been named as the new Principal Secretary of the Industrial and Infrastructure Development Department. Gurdeep Singh, Principal Secretary of Mining Department, has also been wait-listed. He has been replaced by R.P. Singh. Dimple Verma, Principal Secretary in Child Development Department, has also been shunted out. Anita Meshram has been named the new Secretary of the department. Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Bhuvnesh Kumar and UPSIDC Managing Director Amit Kumar Ghosh have also been removed. Ranveer Prasad has been given the charge of UPSIDC as Managing Director. Mrityunjaya Kumar Narayan has been named as the new Secretary to Yogi Adityanath. The CEO of Greater Noida and Noida authorities, Deepak Agarwal, has also been divested of his position. Amit Mohan Prasad, Investment Commissioner of UP, posted in New Delhi, replaces Agarwal. Vijay Kumar Yadav, Vice Chairman of the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA), has also been shifted out. Two close aides of former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Amor Kumar and Pandhari Yadav, have been removed and posted as Members (Judicial) of the Revenue Board in Allahabad. While earlier governments removed senior bureaucrats immediately after taking power, Yogi Adityanath waited for almost three weeks before making the first major reshuffle in the bureaucracy. The Bharatiya Janata Party won a thumping majority in assembly elections held in February-March. (ANI)