Lucknow: In a significant late-night administrative reshuffle on Monday, the Uttar Pradesh government transferred 33 IAS officers, including several key bureaucrats occupying influential posts in Varanasi, Lucknow, and across the state. The reshuffle is being seen as part of a broader exercise to realign administrative priorities ahead of major state programmes and political events.
Kaushal Raj Sharma, who was serving as the Divisional Commissioner of Varanasi, has been appointed Secretary to the Chief Minister.
Shishir, the long-serving Director of the Information Department and considered close to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has been shifted to the MSME and Export Promotion Department as Special Secretary. He has also been given the additional charge of CEO, Khadi and Village Industries Board.
Vishal Singh, the outgoing District Magistrate of Bhadohi, has been appointed the new Director, Information.
Among other major reshuffles, S Rajalingam, who was the District Magistrate of Varanasi, has been promoted as the city’s new Divisional Commissioner. Satyendra Kumar, who was posted as Special Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office, takes over as the new DM of Varanasi.
In Lucknow, Municipal Commissioner Inderjit Singh has been transferred and appointed as Special Secretary (Power), Director of UPNEDA, and Managing Director of UP Renewable and EV Infrastructure Ltd. Gaurav Kumar, formerly Chief Development Officer of Prayagraj, has been named the new Municipal Commissioner of Lucknow.
Amit Gupta, Principal Secretary, Stamp and Registration, has been given the additional charge of the Transport Department. L Venkateswarlu, who previously headed the Transport Department, will now focus solely on his existing roles as Managing Director of the UP Administration and Planning Academy, Director of the DDU State Rural Development Organisation, and Director of the SC/ST Research and Training Institute.
Prerna Verma has become the Director of the State Urban Development Agency. Abhishek Pandey has been appointed the new District Magistrate of Hapur, while Sanjay Kumar Meena has taken over as Vice-Chairperson of the Meerut Development Authority.
Meanwhile, new DMs appointed in 11 districts. Ravindra Kumar has been posted to Azamgarh, Avinash Singh to Bareilly, Anupam Shukla to Ambedkarnagar, Avinash Kumar to Ghazipur, Mridul Chaudhary to Jhansi, Gazal Bharadwaj to Mahoba, Mahendra Singh Tanwar to Kushinagar, Alok Kumar to Sant Kabir Nagar, and Shailesh Kumar to Bhadohi.
At the development level, Shashwat Tripurari has been posted as the Chief Development Officer (CDO) of Gorakhpur, Harshika Singh is now CDO of Prayagraj, and Shahid Ahmed takes charge as CDO of Shrawasti.
Additionally, Aryaka Akhouri has been appointed Special Secretary in the Department of Medical Health and Family Welfare. Ujjwal Kumar has been posted as Managing Director of the UP Medical Supply Corporation, while Pulkit Khare, who was in the Department of Planning, is now Mission Director of the Skill Development Mission. Anubhav Singh has been appointed as the new Vice-Chairperson of the Moradabad Development Authority.