Who is Vinai Kumar Saxena; Prez Kovind appoints new LG of Delhi [details]

President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday appointed Vinai Kumar Saxena as the new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. Saxena will replace Anil Baijal, who resigned from the post last week.

"The President of India is pleased to appoint Vinai Kumar Saxena as the Lieutenant Governor of the National Capital Territory of Delhi with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office," read a communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

"The President of India has accepted the resignation of Anil Baijal as Lieutenant Governor of the National Capital Territory of Delhi," it added.

Who is Vinai Kumar Saxena?

Vinai Kumar Saxena, who was named Delhi's 22nd Lt Governor on Monday, was the one under whose leadership the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) grew by a massive 248 per cent while a massive 40 lakh new employment were created in just 7 years.

Saxena, 63, who succeeds former bureaucrat Anil Baijal, who quit due to personal reasons, is the first corporate man ever selected for such a gubernatorial post.

Born in a reputed Kayastha family of Uttar Pradesh, Saxena graduated from Kanpur University in 1981 and also holds a pilot's licence.

He started his career in 1984 as an Assistant Officer in Rajasthan with JK Group. After working for 11 years in different capacities with its White Cement plant, he was elevated in 1995 as General Manager to look after the proposed Port Project in Gujarat. He then rapidly rose to become the CEO and was later elevated as Director of the Dholera Port Project.

Saxena also founded widely acclaimed NGO, namely National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL) in 1991 with its headquarters at Ahmedabad. NCCL posed a stiff opposition, legally and socially to the opponents of the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP)A in Narmada Valley, which was the lifeline of Gujarat.

In October 2015, Saxena was appointed as the Chairman of KVIC where he explored the untapped streams of khadi and village industry sectors and first time implemented many innovative employment-generation schemes like 'Honey Mission', 'Kumhaar Sashaktikaran Yojana' and 'Leather Artisans' Empowerment Scheme' that won accolades from all quarters. It was during Saxena's tenure, that KVIC, for the first time, clocked a historic turnover of Rs 1.15 lakh crore in 2021-22, the highest by KVIC and any FMCG company in India so far.

From 2016 to 2022, Saxena was nominated every year as a Member of the 'Empowered Committee' for evaluation of "Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Public Administration".

In May 2008, Saxena won International Felicitation by the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Development (UNDESD) in association with UNESCO, UNICEF and UNDP for "Outstanding Contribution to Environment Protection and Water Security" in Gujarat.

Anil Baijal resigns

Anil Baijal resigned on Wednesday, citing personal reasons. A 1969 batch IAS officer from the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre, he served as 21st Lt Governor of Delhi for a period of five years and four months from December 31, 2016 to May 18, 2022.

As the Lt Governor, he had been at loggerheads with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over several issues.

(With inputs from IANS)