Who is Vinai Kumar Saxena, Delhi's new Lieutenant Governor?
Vinai Kumar Saxena takes office when the city's elected government and the Centre are at odds over municipal elections that have been postponed.
FollowThe former chairwoman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Vinai Kumar Saxena, was sworn in as the 22nd Lieutenant Governor of the national capital on Thursday, more than a week after his predecessor Anil Baijal quit for personal reasons.
Saxena is the first official from non-bureaucratic and non-defence background to be Delhi's LG. He was sworn in as the new LG at Raj Niwas by the chief justice of Delhi High Court, Vipin Sanghi.
The ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet ministers. Manoj Tiwari, Parvesh Sahib Singh, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, and MLAs from the BJP and AAP were among those who attended the meeting. The event was also attended by Delhi government chief secretary Naresh Kumar and other top bureaucrats.
For six years, Saxena spent three decades in the business sector before managing the central government's Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
Baijal, who led Delhi's government for at least five years and four months, clashed with the AAP government on several occasions, including the delivery of rations to residents' doorsteps and the installation of CCTV cameras and the appointment of special public prosecutors.
Saxena takes office when the city's elected government and the Centre are at odds over municipal elections that have been postponed. Saxena will be in charge of issues such as land, services, police, and law and order, which are handled by the LG rather than the city's elected officials. The LG takes precedence over the elected government in the city under the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021, which went into effect last year.
Saxena will also have to deal with hundreds of openings in other government departments, many of which have been postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. He'll also have to think about the Aam Aadmi Party's new excise policy for 2022-23, which is expected to be submitted soon.
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