Udit Prakash Rai is an Indian Administrative Service Officer of the 2007 batch of the AGMUT cadre. He is the former CEO of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). On July 31, 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs suspended him from his position after allegations arose that he had ordered the demolition of a 15th-century monument in southeast Delhi to construct a new government accommodation in its place.
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Wiki/Biography
Udit Prakash Rai was born on Friday, 23 December 1983 (age 39 years; as of 2022) in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. His zodiac sign is Capricorn. His family has its roots in Sojourn, Faizullahpur, Uttar Pradesh. He did his schooling at St. Paul’s School, Gorakhpur. During his school days, he loved studying Maths.
Udit Prakash Rai’s school group photograph
He attended Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, to pursue a B. E. (Hons) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Subsequently, Udit started preparing himself for civil service examinations. In 2007, Udit cleared the UPSC CSE, becoming an IAS Officer of the AGMUT cadre. He received his training from 1 July 2007 to 3 September 2009 at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 9″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Udit Prakash Rai’s father’s name is Dr. O. P. Rai. He has a younger brother named Mintu.
Udit Prakash Rai’s father
Udit Prakash Rai with his mother and brother
Wife & Children
Udit Prakash Rai is married to Shilpi Rai, a teacher in a government school. He has a son named Naman and a daughter named Avni.
Udit Prakash Rai with his wife and son
Udit Prakash Rai with his daughter
Udit Prakash Rai’s children
Career
After completing his IAS training, Udit Prakash Rai was posted as an assistant commissioner at the Land Revenue and Disaster Management Department of Andaman & Nicobar Islands on 3 September 2009. He served the post till 20 April 2012. Meanwhile, he also served as the Deputy Commissioner of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Subsequently, he was appointed as an additional director in the Education Department of Delhi.
Udit Prakash Rai attending a meeting as a director of Education
On 29 January 2013, Udit was appointed as the Deputy Commissioner of North East Delhi, and he served in the position till 18 December 2014. He went on a central deputation on 19 December 2014, serving as an Officer on Special Duty to Minister in the Mines Department. He was on central deputation till 11 July 2016 and later, served as the Deputy Commissioner of South Andaman from 15 March 2016 to 15 August 2019.
Udit Prakash Rai in his office
Subsequently, he served as the Managing Director of Scheduled Caste Welfare. On 1 October 2019, he was given the additional charge as the Special Commissioner of Trade Tax. He held the charge until 27 February 2020. After about a month, he was appointed as the special secretary in the Health & Family Welfare Department.
Udit Prakash Rai during his visit to a Covid Care Centre in Delhi for inspection while he was serving as the Special Secretary of the Health & Family Welfare Department
Previously, he also served as the CEO of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and vice-chairman of the Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board (DAMB).
Udit Prakash Rai as the CEO of Delhi Jal Board on his visit to Nilothi Sewage Treatment Plant
Controversies
Accused of Corruption
On 10 February 2020, a complaint was lodged against Udit Prakash Rai by JS Sharma in the Ministry of Home Affairs for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs. 50 lakhs for extending ‘undue favours’ to PS Meena, the errant executive engineer of the DAMB. He was also accused of diluting punishment in two cases of corruption in which Meena was found to be involved. Cracking down on graft, Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended to the Home Ministry that action be taken against Udit Prakash Rai, a 2007 AGMUT cadre IAS officer and former vice-chairman of Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board (DAMB), for indulging in corruption on his last day in office. Talking about the matter, the officials in the LG office said,
Rai during his tenure as the vice-chairman of Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board (DAMB), virtually let off executive engineer PS Meena in two disproportionate asset cases — one involving Meena’s son and the other involving his wife.”
Forgery Case for ‘Faking’ Signatures of 2 UT Chief Secretaries
In 2023, the Delhi Police filed a forgery case against IAS Officer Udit Prakash Rai. He was accused of forging the signatures of two chief secretaries from different union territories on his annual performance appraisal report (APAR). The case was registered at the IP Estate police station under Section 465 (punishment of forgery) and 471 (fraudulent or dishonest use as genuine any document or electronic record). The complaint was lodged by special secretary (vigilance) YVVJ Rajasekhar on June 2. The complaint highlighted discrepancies in Rai’s APARs from April 2017 to March 2021, which were manually submitted instead of through the official portal, violating the All India Services rules. In August 2022, Udit informed the services department that he couldn’t submit his papers online due to a technical glitch, leading to manual submission. However, when the services department sent the papers for verification to the reporting and reviewing authorities, it was discovered that the cited officials had not provided any comments on the APARs, nor had they signed them.
Suspended by the Ministry of Home Affairs
On April 26, 2023, the Delhi vigilance department issued a show-cause notice to Udit Prakash Rai, an IAS officer, regarding the demolition of a 15th-century structure in South East Delhi’s Jal Vihar. The notice alleged that the structure was demolished to make way for Rai’s residence while he served as the chief executive officer of the Delhi Jal Board. Although Rai is currently posted in Mizoram, his family resides in the newly constructed residence, which replaced the medieval-age monument. The issue began in December 2020 when the Delhi Archaeology Department visited the site and discovered the historic structures. The department sought possession of the site for conservation. According to the Archaeology Department, the site is a “Pathan period” Mahal dating back to 1418 during the Sayyid dynasty’s rule in Delhi and holds significance in the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) List of Muhammadan and Hindu monuments. In January of the following year, the Archaeology Department revisited the site only to find that the monument had been completely demolished to accommodate a lavish bungalow intended to serve as the official residence of the Delhi Jal Board’s CEO. The show-cause notice highlighted that the monument was under the control of DJB and that the newly built house exceeded the prescribed area for Type VIII quarters by nearly 300 sqm. Rai was entitled to Type V government housing. The bungalow was constructed on a plot of approximately 5,500 sqm, with a cost of Rs 4 crore for the construction. On July 31, 2023, Udit Prakash Rai was suspended by the Ministry of Home Affairs, as stated in an official order. The MHA order read,
The President of India, in exercise of the powers conferred under Rule 3 of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969 hereby places Shri Udit Prakash Rai, IAS (AGMUT: 2007) under suspension with immediate effect.”
The order further read,
It is further ordered that during the period for which this order shall remain in force, the headquarters of Rai shall be Mizoram and he shall not leave the headquarters without obtaining prior permission of the Competent Authority.”
Facts/Trivia
- He loves reading books in his leisure time.
- He is fluent in Hindi and English.
- A fitness enthusiast, Udit Prakash works out regularly to maintain his fitness. He once used to be a little overweight, but he managed to shed a lot of weight by working out.
Udit Prakash Rai before shedding weight
- Apparently, once an inquiry was issued against Udit Prakash pertaining to the appointment of his wife, Shilpi Rai, in a government-aided school while he was posted as the Director in the Education Department.
- During earlier times, Udit was frequently perceived to have close ties with the AAP government, which led to him receiving numerous criticisms and facing attacks from the BJP as a consequence.
- In 2023, Udit Prakash Rai filed a harassment complaint against Y VVJ Rajasekhar, the Special Secretary of the Vigilance Department in the Delhi Government. In the complaint, it was alleged that Rajashekhar had been informed in advance about appearing before the Vigilance Department in Delhi after taking leave from Mizoram due to an ongoing investigation case. However, Rajashekhar was found absent from his office. In the complaint letter, Udit Prakash Rai stated that he and his family were facing harassment under the pretext of the investigation. Additionally, he sent copies of the letter to the Chief Secretary, Chief Minister, LG, and Union Home Minister.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn