The Uttar Pradesh administration has announced a senior-level bureaucratic reassignment, resulting in new leadership for the state’s Transport Department.
Key Appointments and Reassignments
In this administrative restructuring, senior IAS officer Archana Agrawal has been named the new Principal Secretary of the Transport Department. Concurrently, she will also assume the role of Chairman for the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC).
This appointment fills a vacancy previously held on an additional charge basis. Ms. Agrawal, a 1990-batch officer, was most recently on the waitlist for a posting. She brings relevant experience to the role, having previously served as the state’s Transport Commissioner between 2009 and 2010. Her return to the transport sector creates a unique leadership dynamic, as she will be working alongside IAS officer Kinjal Singh, who was appointed Transport Commissioner last month.
Ms. Agrawal had been on central deputation since 2016 and only recently returned to state-level duties in October 2025.
Officer Relieved of Additional Charge
The officer relieved of these transport-related responsibilities is Amit Kumar Gupta, a 2000-batch IAS officer. He had been holding the positions of Principal Secretary for the Transport Department and Chairman of UPSRTC as an additional charge.
With this new order, he has been divested of these dual responsibilities. Mr. Gupta will, however, continue in his primary role as the Principal Secretary for the Stamps and Registration Department. His relief from the transport portfolio comes just six months after he was initially assigned the additional duties.
Strategic Implications
This reshuffle underscores a strategic shift in the state’s administrative priorities, placing a renewed emphasis on experienced leadership within the transport sector. The move also highlights the increasing prominence of women officers in key administrative positions in Uttar Pradesh.
The Transport Department, which manages public transportation and the state road transport corporation, is now under the joint leadership of two senior women IAS officers. This is anticipated to bring a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to the department’s governance and operational functions.
Archana Agrawal’s prior involvement in the transport sector is expected to provide valuable continuity and informed oversight for the state’s ongoing transportation initiatives.
