LUCKNOW l FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00
RNI NO. UPENG/2020/04393 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 3
YOGI’S TROUBLE
SHOOTERS
AWANISH KUMAR AWASTHI
Kartikey Dev Singh
I
n any democracy, to provide good governance and people-centric government, it is imperative that the leader identifies such men who can go the extra mile to ensure that the government’s schemes and policies see fruition on the ground. In Uttar Pradesh too, this fact holds its standing, wherein Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a tireless administrator who has envisioned the betterment of people through governmental action till the last section of society, relies heavily on ‘a few good men’ to see his vision take shape. For any Chief Minister it is imperative to post dedicated and willing individuals on key assignments and when it comes to administration, UP too is no exception. Additional Chief Secre-
NAVNEET SEHGAL
tary (ACS) Home Awanish Kumar Awasthi, a 1987 batch officer, is a trusted officer of CM Yogi who not only looks after the law and order situation in the volatile state but also ensures that the government’s agenda of crime free UP also moves along. Having been appointed to the assignment right after Yogi was appointed CM, Awasthi has ensured that his experience and determination is helpful in bringing a massive change in UP. Then there is ACS Navneet Sehgal, a 1988 batch IAS who is heading the department of Khadi promotions, exports, village industries while also carrying out the massive important function of media management as chief of DIPR. Sehgal, in bureaucratic circles, is even addressed as ‘media magician’ and is probably the first officer in UP bureaucracy who is liked in equal measure by print, electron-
SHASHI PRASAD GOYAL
ic and digital media. While he is bettering the media government relation in UP, he is also continuously making opportunities to increase employment. His efforts to generate employment for unemployed individuals has not only been praised by the current dispensation but even by the opposition! Then there is IAS Shashi Prakash Goyal, a 1989 batch IAS, who was appointed principal secretary to CM by CM Yogi as soon as he took oath. He also handles civil aviation and state protocol departments, and all files that reach upto the CM’s level, pass him first. Currently promoted to the rank of ACS, he also has the responsibility of Additional Resident Commissioner and is known to be close to CM Yogi Adityanath. And if we talk about Yogi’s vision for UP, we can not exclude ‘crime control’ out of it and there-
AMITABH YASH
fore, yet another important link in that chain is 1996 batch IPS officer Amitabh Yash, a Thakur by caste, who is currently handling the UP-Anti Terrorism Squad. Be it the dacoit of Bundelkhand who was ‘neutralized’ by him or the infamous Dadua or more recently gangster Vikas Dubey, Amitabh has created a name of repute in the society for himself, a name which a dreaded and feared by criminals. Hailing from neighbouring Bihar, Amitabh, in whose abilities CM Yogi Adityanath has complete faith, is now addressed by the public as ‘encounter specialist’. It may be a conspiracy of circumstances that Amitabh, who was posted as IG, Gorakhpur by Akhilesh Yadav during his regime, got a chance to come closer to Adityanath, when he was MP from Gorakhpur and that ‘proximity’ continues even now.