Vinai Kumar Saxena has been named the new new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. The announcement was made Monday just days after his predecessor Anil Baijal resigned citing “personal reasons.”

Saxena, 64, was the Chairman of Khadi & Village Industries Commission before being named new Lt. governor.

“The President of India has been pleased to appoint Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena to be the Lt Governor of National Capital Territory of Delhi with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office,” read a press communique from the President’s office.

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Saxena is one of the members of the national committee – headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi – to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal welcomed Saxena’s appointment and assured him of his cabinet’s full cooperation.

“On behalf of the people of Delhi, I extend a warm welcome to the newly appointed Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena. For the betterment of Delhi, he will get full cooperation from the Delhi cabinet,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.

Saxena, who is the current chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission – an organisation under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, was born on March 23, 1958, and is a Kanpur University alumnus with a Pilot license.

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In November 2020, Saxena was nominated as a member of the Padma Awards selection panel for the year 2021 by the Government of India.

In 1984, Saxena became part of the well-known JK Group in Rajasthan as an assistant officer.  In 1991, he founded the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), a non-profit NGO. The non-profit has headquarters in Ahmedabad. NCCL is recognised by the Ministry of Law and Justice.