In a major reshuffle of the state bureaucracy, the UP state government has appointed senior IAS officer Rajive Kumar as the new chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh. The 1981-batch IAS officer takes over from Rahul Bhatnagar, who has been shifted to Greater Noida as chairman with additional charge as investment commissioner of Uttar Pradesh in New Delhi.
The bureaucratic reshuffle, which involved 44 IAS officers, was expected after the BJP took power in the state and looked to strengthen its mandate in the state by removing IAS officers who held key positions under the Akhilesh Yadav government.
Rajive Kumar is known to be an efficient officer and was previously appointed as secretary, Ministry of Shipping in 2014 during the Samajwadi Party government under central deputation. He has also handled the additional charge of principal resident commissioner of Uttar Pradesh in New Delhi.
Among the senior IAS officers being given new charges, Navneet Sehgal has been made principal secretary, Khadi and Gramodyog and Gurdeep Singh has been made member, Revenue Board. Amit Kumar Ghosh has been appointed as secretary, Backward Caste Welfare Board, while Rama Raman has been posted as secretary and director of the handicraft and textile industry at Kanpur.
Another senior IAS officer Anita Singh principal secretary, Samagra Gram Vikas department after serving under the previous regime. Dimple Verma has become the principal secretary, Externally-funded Projects department. Satyendra Singh has been made special secretary, National Integration department and Vijay Kumar Yadav has been posted as special secretary, Divyang Empowerment department.