‘I’ll work as local guardian': Vinai Kumar Saxena takes oath as Delhi's LG. 10 points

Vinai Kumar Saxena on Thursday became the 22nd Lieutenant Governor of the national capital Delhi. Saxena, who was the chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, was appointed Delhi's new Lieutenant Governor after Anil Baijal resigned from the position last week.

“I'll work as a local guardian. You'll see me more on roads than in Raj Nivas. Pollution is a major issue in Delhi, will try to solve this problem along with the Centre, Delhi government and  local citizens,” Saxena told media.

Last month, a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan informed that President Ram Nath Kovind has accepted Baijal's resignation and appointed Vinai Kumar Saxena as the new Lieutenant Governor. Baijal, who served as Delhi LG for five years and four months, resigned citing personal reasons.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues, Union minister Giriraj Singh, Delhi MPs and MLAs, and top bureaucrats of the city government attended the ceremony of Saxena on Thursday

Who is Vinai Kumar Saxena--the new LG of Delhi

• Vinai Kumar Saxena was born in Uttar Pradesh and graduated from Kanpur University in 1981. Saxena also holds a pilot licence.
• In 1984, Vinay Kumar Saxena started his career as an assistant officer in Rajasthan with JK Group. He worked for 11 years in various capacities. He was elevated in 1995 as General Manager to look after the proposed Port Project in Gujarat.
• In 1991, he founded the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), a non-profit NGO with its headquarters in Ahmedabad. The NCCL opposed social activist Medha Patkar and her Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA).
• In October 2015, Saxena was appointed as the Chairman of KVIC where he worked on khadi and village industry sectors and implemented several innovative employment-generation schemes like 'Honey Mission', 'Kumhaar Sashaktikaran Yojana' and 'Leather Artisans' Empowerment Scheme'.
• During his tenure, the turnover of KVIC grew by a massive 248% while a massive 40 lakh new employment was created in just seven years.
• It was for the first time that KVIC clocked a historic turnover of ₹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 November 2020, he was nominated as a member of the Padma Awards selection panel for the year 2021.
• He was appointed by the Union government as a member of the national committee to commemorate 75 years of India's independence in March 2021.
• In his six-decade long career, Saxena has won several awards for his accomplishments. In May 2008, he won International Felicitation by 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.