In 1st major reshuffle, Yogi moves out close aides of Akhilesh

In its first major bureaucratic reshuffle, the Yogi Adityanath government on Wednesday transferred 20 senior IAS officers, shunting out Principal Secretary-Information Navneet Sehgal and others who wielded considerable influence under the Akhilesh Yadav dispensation.

Sehgal has been divested of all charge and replaced by UP cadre IAS officer Avanish Kumar Awasthi, who was relieved by the Centre following a request by Chief Minister Yogi Aditaynath after he took oath on March 19.

Sehgal also held the charge of religious affairs, information and tourism. He was the CEO of UP industrial development authority, UP state highway authority and additional resident commissioner, New Delhi.

An official release said that Sehgal has been put on the wait list and Awasthi has got charge of all the departments held by him.

Awasthi was serving as joint secretary in the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment since April, 2013.

He has served in different capacities in the Uttar Pradesh government, including as district magistrate of Gorakhpur and and Varanasi, Lok Sabha constituencies of Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi respectively.

He was also DM of Lalitpur, Azamgarh, Badaun, Faizabad and Meerut.

He was CMD of UP power corporation limited from September 2005 to January 2009.

He has served as the secretary, tourism in the Uttar Pradesh government, special secretary (information and technology) and special secretary (industries).

Principal Secretary, Infrastructure and Industrial development, NRI Department and Chairman Noida Authority Rama Raman has also been put on the wait list and Divisional Commissioner, Meerut, Alok Sinha has been entrusted with all his departments.

Investment Commissioner Amit Mohan Prasad has been given additional charge of CEO Noida and Greater Noida authority. Deepak Agarwal, who held the charge, has been put on the wait list.

Additional Chief Secretary, Mining, Gurdeep Singh has also been put on the wait list and member Revenue Board Raj Pratap Singh has been given charge of Singh's department besides additional charge as member of the Board.

Principal Secretary, Child Development and Nutrition Dimple Verma has been put on the wait list while Anita Mehra, who was on the wait list, has been given Verma's department as Secretary.

Commissioner, Commercial Tax and Secretary Technical Education Mukesh Kumar Meshram has been relieved of Technical education department while Divisional Commissioner, Lucknow, Secretary Bhuvanesh Kumar has been relieved from his post and will now hold Professional education and skill development department and Technical Education departments as Secretary.

MD, UP State Industrial Development Corporation, Minor Industries Corporation and Commissioner and Director Industries, Amit Kumar Ghosh, Vice Chairman Ghaziabad Development Authority, Secretary Culture Hariom, Principal Secretary, Estate Department Anita Singh too have been put on the wait list.

Commissioner and Director Handloom and MD Kanpur Electricity Supply Company Ranveer Prasad has been given additional charge of MD UPSIDC while Excise Commissioner Mrityunjay Kumar Narain has been made Secretary Chief Minister.

Amod Kumar and Pandhari Yadav, secretaries in Science and Technology and Housing and Urban Planning departments respectively, have been sent as members Revenue Board, Allahabad while Investment Commissioner.