In May 2015, Saxena was appointed chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission,[5] an organization under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. He remained in the post until 2022.[6][7] He also served as the president of Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute.[8]
Early life and education
Saxena was born on 23 March 1958 in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh.[9] In 1975, he founded a student union within his institution, Mardhan Singh Inter College in Talbehat, Lalitpur, and was later elected its general secretary.[2] In 1981, he graduated from Kanpur University. He holds a pilot license.[9]
Earlier career
Saxena began his professional career as an assistant officer in J.K. Group of companies in Rajasthan.[9] He was eventually appointed the general manager of the group.[10][9] Saxena later went on to become the CEO and director of the Dholera Port Project in Dholera.[11][12] He also led the construction of concrete gravity dam of the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) with the backing of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited.[13]
National Council for Civil Liberties of India
In 1991, he started the National Council for Civil Liberties of India (NCCL), an NGO headquartered in Ahmedabad.[2][14] NCCL opposed Medha Patkar and the Narmada Bachao Andolan, an environmental initiative aimed at the ecological preservation and prevention of the displacement of thousands of people owing to the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Project in Gujarat, and other upcoming hydro projects on Narmada Valley.[15][13][16][17][18] A prolonged criminal defamation case filed by Saxena in the year 2001 against Patkar resulted in her conviction by the Delhi Court on 24 May 2024.[19] The court held Patkar guilty of deliberately and maliciously defaming Saxena.[20] The court sentenced Patkar to a five-month imprisonment and ordered her to pay ₹10 lakh as compensation to Saxena.[21][22]
As president of NCCL, he unsuccessfully petitioned the Gujarat High Court in 2011 against then-Governor of GujaratKamla Beniwal's appointment of retired judge Rameshchandra Amrut Mehta as Lokayukta, alleging a "breach of constitutional propriety" for bypassing the advice of the state's council of ministers, led by then-Chief MinisterNarendra Modi.[23][24][25][26] However, in 2012, the appointment of the Lokayukta in Gujarat was upheld by multiple courts, including the Gujarat High Court and the Supreme Court of India.[27][28][29][30] The courts ruled that while "the governor is bound to act under the advice of the Council of Ministers," the appointment of Mehta was valid as it was made in consultation with the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court.[31]
In May 2008, Saxena drew public attention by raising concerns about the placement of Mahatma Gandhi's statue at Madame Tussauds in London.[32] He discovered that the statue was positioned on the second floor near an ice cream parlour and close to a dustbin, rather than in the museum's section featuring prominent world leaders.[32] On 17 May 2008, he addressed the issue by writing to then-British Prime MinisterGordon Brown.[32] The following day, the museum authorities issued an apology and relocated the statue to the World Leaders' Exhibition hall.[32]
Saxena became associated with Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute (KNHPI); the institution launched the production of handmade paper pads in Jaipur, Rajasthan, from white currency waste that stemmed from the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India.[33][34]
Chairman of KVIC
In 2015, Vinai was appointed chairperson of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC),[9][35][36][37] an organization responsible for promoting rural employment and small-scale industries in India.[38] During his tenure, KVIC introduced several product and process innovations, including plastic-mixed handmade paper and Khadi Prakritik Paint, a wall paint made from cow dung that later received a patent from the Government of India in September 2022.[9][39]
In 2017–18, the organization recorded a 13 percent increase in sales, and in 2018–19, revenues rose by more than 25 percent to nearly ₹75,000 crore.[40] In 2021–22, KVIC reported a turnover of ₹1.15 lakh crore, the highest in its history.[41]
Saxena (in red) at the Khadi Fashion Show during the International SME convention 2018, in New Delhi
During Saxena’s chairmanship, KVIC signed agreements with several major textile companies, including Raymond Group, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail, and Arvind Mills, to promote and market khadi products in India and overseas.[11][42][43] It also signed a memorandum of understanding with the American outdoor clothing company Patagonia, Inc., under which the firm placed a repeat order for Khadi denim fabric produced in India.[44][45][46] Around the same time, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) collaborated with the watch manufacturer Titan to launch a series of limited-edition watches featuring Khadi fabric in the dial and strap, commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.[47][48][49]
Sustainable habitat initiatives
Plantation drive
During Saxena’s tenure as Chairperson of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) from 2015 to 2022, the organisation launched several environmental initiatives.[50] These included a nationwide campaign for the plantation of Moringa oleifera—approximately 45,000 trees—in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Delhi. The campaign was intended to promote beekeeping and raise awareness about the plant’s nutritional and medicinal properties. KVIC also promoted the cultivation of sandalwood and bamboo to enhance the livelihood options of farmers and local landowners.[50]
In July 2020, UNESCO invited Saxena to participate in an international workshop on “Wise Coastal Practice for Sustainable Human Development,” recognizing KVIC’s projects related to water management in Gujarat’s Bhal region.[13] In 2021, he launched Project BOLD (“Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought”) to establish bamboo plantations in arid and semi-arid areas of India.[50] Under the project, around 31,000 bamboo saplings were planted over 42.47 lakh square feet across regions such as Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Leh, Ladakh, Goa, Gujarat, Varanasi, and Jammu.[50]
After becoming Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Saxena collaborated with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on plantation drives under a sustainable habitat programme in July 2024. The initiative involved tree planting in several areas of the National Capital Territory.[51] Prime Minister Narendra Modi also participated in the campaign, during which about 50,000 trees and 550,000 shrubs were planted in locations including Vikaspuri, Paschim Vihar, and Punjabi Bagh.[51][52]
Saxena and other officials discussing about Yamuna revival works in Delhi, February 2023.
On 23 September, after the conclusion of G20 New Delhi summit, he approved the allotment and transfer of lands in Bhalswa and Uttam Nagar, for completion of infrastructural development projects.[62] In January 2025, he inaugurated the largest green space of the national capital territory, named 'Yamuna Vatika', where a 57.5-tonne Nandi statue was also unveiled.[63][64]
On 20 February 2025, Saxena administered the oath of office to the newly elected CM of Delhi, Rekha Gupta, and the ministers at the official oath ceremony hosted in Ramlila Maidan.[65][66]
Personal life
Saxena was born and grew up in Banda, Uttar Pradesh.[67] Per his autobiography,, he grew up on the banks of the Paishwani, a tributary of Yamuna river.[67] His personal and professional commitments in Mathura, Prayagraj, Farrukhabad, Gotan, Bhal and Ahmedabad kept him around rivers which played the key role in shaping his activism towards sustainable developments.[67] He is married to Sangita Saxena, who is an educationist and social worker based in New Delhi.[68] Their daughter Shivangi Saxena is an interior designer.[69]
Controversies
While serving as the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders alleged Saxena's involvement in a khadi scam and money laundering amounting to ₹1,400 crore during his tenure as chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission.[70][71] He denied the accusations, and issued legal notices to the AAP leaders.[72] The Delhi High Court granted Saxena interim relief, directing AAP to remove defamatory posts from social media.[73][74]
On 16 March 2023, AAP politician Sanjay Singh released a video, accusing Saxena of "leading a violent mob" against activist and later AAP candidate Medha Patkar in 2002 at Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat.[86] The case remains sub-judice, with Saxena named as an accused.[87]
Awards and accolades
2000 – selected as one of the four referees by the Third World Network of Scientific Organisation, for evaluation of an important Joint Research Project in Yemen titled "Characterization an Environmental Prioritisation of the Coastal region in the state of Yemen".[13][88]
2007 – Dubai International Award constituted by UN-HABITAT, for best practices to improve living environment in the city of Ahmedabad through project 'Mission ENDURE'.[13]
↑ Upadhaya, Neha (24 May 2022). "जानिए कितने पढ़े-लिखे हैं दिल्ली के नए एलजी विनय सक्सेना..."[Know how educated and experienced Delhi's new LG Vinay Saxena is...]. navbharattimes.indiatimes.com (in Hindi). New Delhi: The Navbharat Times. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
