NEW DELHI: UP cadre IAS officer Awanish Kumar Awasthi has been appointed as Principal Secretary to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Awasthi was serving as Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment since April, 2013.
The Chief Minister had sought the services of Awasthi as his Principal Secretary and had requested the Centre to relieve him at the earliest, a source in the Ministry said.
Awasthi, an IIT Kanpur graduate, has served in different capacities in the Uttar Pradesh government, including as District Magistrate of Lalitpur, Azamgarh, Badaun, Faizabad, Varanasi, Meerut and Gorakhpur, the Yogi's parliamentary constituency.
He was also the chairman-cum-managing director of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) from September 2005 till January 2009.
He has also served as the Secretary of Tourism in the Uttar Pradesh government, Special Secretary (Information and Technology) and Special Secretary (Industries).