LucknowThe Uttar Pradesh government, in an order issued late Wednesday night, transferred IAS officer Navneet Sehgal – troubleshooter and confidante of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath – to the relatively low-profile sports department. Sehgal was heading the information and public relations department.
Sehgal’s transfer came hours after another top civil servant and Yogi confidante, 1987 batch IAS officer Avneesh Awasthi. retired Wednesday.
Considered one of the most powerful IAS officers in the state, Awasthi was in charge of important departments like Home, Visa and Passport, Prison Administration, Vigilance, Energy and Religious Affairs. Many of these cabinet portfolios are with CM Adityanath himself.
By the time he actually bid farewell, it was speculated that Awasthi – who was once called the “mini CM” in UP’s power circles – might get an extension of service, but that did not happen.
While the buzz now is that Awasthi may return to an “advisory role”, sources in the UP government said it has to be ensured that the government is not seen as giving undue importance to an officer. suffered attacks From the opposition in the past for their “closeness” to the BJP.
Awasthi Self Told The media on Wednesday said that this is not the right time to talk about his next assignment.
Meanwhile, Sehgal’s transfer comes as part of a reshuffle in the roles of 16 IAS officers serving in the UP government.
The transfer order also gave relief to Sanjay Prasad, principal secretary to the chief minister – considered another very powerful IAS officer in the Yogi government – of some of Awasthi’s portfolios that he was earlier given charge of. In addition, he was given the charge of the Information and Public Relations Department, which Sehgal was holding till now.
Prasad will also hold the charge of Home, Visa and Passport and Vigilance departments. He has been relieved of the additional charge of the departments of religious affairs, prison administration, energy and CEO of Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) and UP State Highway Authority (UPSA).
During the Yogi-led BJP government, the charge of the religious affairs department has been entrusted to IAS officer Mukesh Kumar Meshram, while the energy has been entrusted to Mukesh Kumar Gupta, who served as the chief secretary. Governor
IAS officer Kalpana Awasthi has been appointed as the Principal Secretary to the Governor.
Meshram, who was working as Principal Secretary Tourism and Culture, will continue in this post and he has been given additional responsibility of Religious Affairs Department.
Controversial IAS officer Amit Mohan Prasad, facing probe for alleged irregularities in the medical health department, has been relieved of the charge of that department and given the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) department. This too was being handled by Sehgal till Wednesday.
Many CMs have ‘trusted’
Seen as one of the most influential IAS officers in UP, enjoy the trust Former CMS like Mayawati and Akhilesh as well as current CM Adityanath, Navneet Sehgal are being relieved of the charge of key departments like Information and Public Relations, MSME and Export Promotion, Handloom and Textiles and Khadi and Village Industries, and transferred to sports. He is going. The government has come as a surprise to many in the circles.
The 1988-batch officer was also seen as a “troublemaker” after facing widespread criticism by the UP government. Hathras rape case and is known for its shrewd media management, government sources said.
When he served as Secretary (Information) in the Mayawati government, for his entire five-year term between 2007 and 2012, Sehgal was re-appointed by the Akhilesh government as principal secretary for crisis management. 2013 Muzaffarnagar Riots and was also in charge of Yadav’s ambitious Lucknow-Agra Expressway project.
He was initially removed from his post by Adityanath after the Hathras case and Sehgal was seen as close to him.
“Change sends a message, but the transfer of an experienced IAS officer who was handling media management for so many years is very surprising. It can be challenging for a successor as the status quo is in disarray,” an IAS officer working in the UP government told ThePrint, on condition of anonymity.
Other officers who saw a reshuffle in their roles on Wednesday include IAS officer Arvind Kumar, who served as principal secretary, infrastructure and industrial development, electronics and NRI departments, and now has additional charge as CEO, UPDA and UPSHA. has given.
Rajesh Kumar Singh-I (referred to in official colloquialism as being another officer of the same name) working as Principal Secretary (Horticulture and Food Processing) has been relieved and given charge of prison administration.
IAS officers sitting on the target of Deputy Chief Minister freed from Medical and Health Department
Amit Mohan Prasad the inspection As UP Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak wrote to him in April-May alleging that the transfer policy was not being followed in the medical and health department, he was relieved of its charge on Wednesday.
The letter going viral had indicated a major rift between the deputy CM and the additional chief secretary in charge of his department.
Soon after Pathak’s letter to Prasad went viral, Mahesh Chandra Srivastava, who identifies himself as the legal advisor of R Cube Group of Companies, which deals with health care and fire protection equipment and services, addressed the Prime Minister. Wrote a nine-page complaint. Narendra Modi on Public Grievances Portal of Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions,
In the complaint accessed by ThePrint, Srivastava – whose wife and daughter currently work as directors of R Cube Healthcare Industries Pvt Ltd, Lucknow and R Cube Fire Protection Services Pvt Ltd – had alleged that the government allotted them The funds for the projects were not released. These companies are because of Amit Mohan Prasad’s “enmity”.
Taking cognizance of Srivastava’s complaint on June 27, the PMO had written to UP chief secretary Durga Shanker Mishra, “for appropriate action”.
The Lokayukta had also sought response from Prasad on another complaint by BJP worker and activist Rajesh Khanna, who alleged corruption in the purchases made by UP Medical Supplies Corporation in 2020, and accused Prasad of favoring three companies in the tender process. who allegedly got the contract. For Supply of Reagents “Without Issue of Tender by Main Medical Store Depot of U.P”.
Speaking to ThePrint, Khanna called the shuffle a confirmation of his complaint and an attack on the “syndicate running in the medical department”.
Prasad now holds the charge of MSME and Export Promotion, Handloom and Textiles and Khadi and Village Industries departments with Sehgal till Wednesday.
(Edited by Polomi Banerjee)
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