74 IAS officials transferred in UP, CM finally gets principal secretary

Lucknow, May 19 (IANS) In yet another major rejig of the state's bureaucracy, the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday transferred 74 IAS officials, while Sashi Prakash Goel has been appointed as Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Sanjay Agarwal, a powerful bureaucrat in the previous Samajwadi Party regime, has been removed as the top boss of the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd and has been shifted to the Secondary and Higher Education Department as Additional Chief Secretary. Alok Kumar has been posted as the new Principal Secretary, Power department.

Another senior bureaucrat Sadakant, has been divested of charge of Additional Chief Secretary, Housing and Urban Planning and is only left with the Public Works Department. Mukul Singhal has been given this charge. Amit Mohan Prasad has meanwhile been divested of the charge of Investment Commissioner but remains Noida CEO and Noida Metro Rail Corporation's Managing Director.

Principal Secretary, Home, Debashish Panda has been relieved of his long-standing charge and has been posted as Investment Commissioner and Resident Commissioner of UP in New Delhi. Arvind Kumar, who was the Principal Secretary, Revenue, replaces him in the Home Department.

Some district magistrates have also been changed while Sudhesh Ojha, Director, Information and Public Relations Department has also been removed.

Many senior officials like Rama Raman, Anita Singh and Navneet Sehgal, considered close to the former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and put in waiting more than a month ago, have still not been given any posting.