Midnight reshuffle in Uttar Pradesh: Information Director Shishir Singh transferred, Kaushal Raj Sharma brought into CMO
A major midnight bureaucratic reshuffle in Uttar Pradesh saw the entry of 2006-batch IAS officer Kaushal Raj Sharma, who was serving as Divisional Commissioner of Varanasi, into the Chief Minister's Office as secretary to the Chief Minister.
In an another major shift that came as a surprise, Director of Information Shishir Singh, who was considered close to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, was also transferred and replaced by 2015-batch IAS officer Vishal Singh, who was Bhadohi District Magistrate and had earlier served as vice chairman of the Ayodhya Development Authority from 2020 to 2024.
A total of 33 officers were transferred in the reshuffle.
Kaushal Raj Sharma, who has been made secretary to the CM, served as District Magistrate of Lucknow from 2017 to 2019 and then District Magistrate of Varanasi until 2022, before he was appointed Divisional Commissioner of Varanasi.
He came to be known for his crisis management skills while serving as District Magistrate of Muzaffarnagar in 2013, where he took charge soon after the communal riots there. He has also served as District Magistrate of Prayagraj, Kanpur and Pilibhit.
Meanwhile, the most unexpected transfer was that of Director Information Shishir Singh, who had been in the post since 2017. He has now been made Special Secretary, MSME, and CEO of Khadi and Gramudyog Board. Vishal Singh, who was promoted as IAS in 2015, and was serving as District Magistrate Bhadohi, will replace him and take charge of all his responsibilities, including as Director of Information and Special Secretary, Culture Department.
Notably, Vishal Singh had served as Vice Chairman of Ayodhya Development Authority from September 2020 to February 2024, which included the period of development work being implemented in Ayodhya surrounding the construction of the Ram Temple.
Also among those transferred were the District Magistrates of Varanasi, Azamgarh, Hapur, Bareilly, Ambedkar Nagar, Ghazipur, Jhansi, Kushinagar, Mahoba, Bhadohi, and Sant Kabir Nagar.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
4 hours ago
- Business Standard
Andhra launches plantation drive to boost green cover to 50% by 2047
The Andhra Pradesh government launched a large-scale greening campaign on Thursday to mark World Environment Day, with the objective of increasing the state's green cover from the current 30.05 per cent to 50 per cent by 2047. The initiative, part of the Vana Mahotsav (forest festival) and End Plastic Pollution drive, involves planting 10 million saplings across the state. Currently, the green cover includes 22.96 per cent recorded forest area and 7.09 per cent trees outside forests. Officials aim to add over 32,000 square kilometres of green area to meet the 2047 target. CM, deputy CM launch campaign Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan launched the campaign at the state level, with concurrent events held at district and constituency levels. Target: 55.8 million saplings in 2025 The state plans to plant 55.8 million saplings in 2025, covering 180,000 hectares. The goal is to achieve 37 per cent green cover by 2029, with an annual increase of 1.5 per cent. Progress will be monitored through geo-tagging, drone surveillance, satellite imagery, and audit-based scoring. Real-time dashboards will track developments and encourage public participation. Mission Haritha Andhra Pradesh to oversee campaign District Collectors will coordinate the drive with support from senior IAS and IFS officers. Nodal officers will oversee the campaign under the Mission Haritha Andhra Pradesh initiative. Between 2025 and 2030, over 987,000 hectares will be covered through plantations led by the Forest and Horticulture departments, with support from other line departments and local bodies.
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Andhra launches massive plantation drive, aims to boost green cover to 50% by 2047
Andhra Pradesh government launched a massive greening campaign on World Environment Day, initiating "Vana Mahotsav" and an "End Plastic Pollution" drive. The goal is to increase the state's green cover from 29 to 50 percent by planting one crore saplings statewide. The initiative includes advanced monitoring and aims to achieve 37 percent green cover by 2029. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday launched a massive greening campaign to mark World Environment Day, aiming to increase the state's green cover from 29 to 50 part of the initiative, the government rolled out 'Vana Mahotsav (forest festival)' and 'End Plastic Pollution' drive, with plans to plant one crore saplings statewide today."Currently, Andhra Pradesh's green cover is over 30.05 percent, combining 22.96 percent recorded forest area and 7.09 percent trees outside forests. Officials aim to add over 32,000 sq km to reach 50 percent cover," said a press Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan launched the programme at the state level. District and grassroots events also began simultaneously across constituencies and institutions.A total of 5.58 crore saplings will be planted during 2025 on 1.8 lakh hectares aiming to achieve 37 percent green cover by 2029, increasing 1.5 percent 2025 and 2030, the government departments will plant over 9.87 lakh hectares, the Forest and Horticulture departments will play a central role, backed by line departments and local agencies, said the District's Collector will coordinate efforts, supported by a senior IAS/IFS officer while the Nodal officers will monitor implementation under the 'Mission Haritha Andhra Pradesh' monitoring will include geo-tagging, drone checks, satellite mapping, and audit-based scoring systems. Real-time dashboards will ensure transparency and public participation in afforestation efforts.
Hans India
15 hours ago
- Hans India
GHMC General Council holds discussions on monsoon prep
Hyderabad: The GHMC General Council meeting on Wednesday held detailed discussions on monsoon preparedness and other basic amenities. The 11th meeting was chaired by GHMC Mayor Gadwal Vijaylakshmi. During this meeting, the members voiced their outrage at the horrific attack on innocent individuals by terrorists in Pahalgam. The council members extended their heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of this attack and held a two-minute moment of silence to pray for the peace of the souls who have departed. GHMC Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi has called on both authorities and public representatives to collaborate effectively for the city's progress. Prior to the start of the meeting, the Mayor spoke at the council gathering and stated the Chief Minister has guaranteed that there will be ample funding available for infrastructure and welfare development within GHMC, and she expressed his appreciation for the support given to the development of Baldia through the allocation of funds. The pre-monsoon sanitation initiative aims to clean all streets to prevent seasonal diseases. She stressed the program's large-scale implementation for city cleanliness and urged officials to work with local representatives, MLAs, MLCs, and MPs for its success. Zonal review meetings are addressing public concerns, and decisions have been made to resolve issues raised by corporators. The mayor confirmed that corporators will collaborate with officials on sanitation, de-silting, Nala development, and infrastructure improvements in various zones. The aim is to identify new routes for the approximately 744.22 km of roads designated in CRMP-1 and to transfer the management of a total of 1142.54 km of roads to private agencies for the next five years (2025-2030), while seeking approval for a budget of Rs 3825 crore for this initiative. Furthermore, the corporators from various parties claim that they made plans to remove the officials due to alleged irregularities in the tenders for vehicles intended for use in the monsoon relief efforts. In the meeting, BRS corporators raised concerns about the arrest of Baba Fasiuddin, a Congress member from Borabanda, alleging his involvement in a suicide. They raised slogans and held placards demanding Fasiuddin's arrest. Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi intervened and successfully calmed the upset corporators. She mentioned that a First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged and that the case is currently being investigated. 'The law will take its course, and if the BRS corporators have any additional evidence related to this issue, they are urged to present it to the investigating authorities,' she stated. However, BJP corporators expressed their discontent with the council meeting. During the session, BJP corporators resolved to remove the Mayor over issues related to road maintenance, street lighting upkeep, sanitation, birth certificate processing, entomology, and the construction and upkeep of flood water canals. Other issues discussed were the operation of HYDRA, the status of street lighting, the process for issuing birth and death certificates, the rainwater harvesting pits built by GHMC, the restoration of RTC bus stops, the absence of essential infrastructure in cemeteries, and the painting and beautification projects carried out on flyovers throughout the city. The meeting was attended by MPs Eatala Rajender, Raghunandan Rao, MLCs Vijayashanti, Balmuri Venkat, Mirza Riaz ul Hassan Effendi, Mirza Rahmat Baig, Addanki Dayakar, MLAs Zulfiqar Ali, Majid Hussain, Kausar Moinuddin, Rajasekhar Reddy, Bandari Laxma Reddy, Commissioner R.V. Karnan, Additional Commissioners Sneha Shabarish, Venugopal, Venugopal Reddy, Pankaja, Subhadra,and others were present.
