Vinai Kumar Saxena took over as the 22nd Lt. Governor of Delhi at Raj Niwas today where the Acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, Justice Vipin Sanghi administered the oath of office to him.

Also present during the occasion were Union Minister, Giriraj Singh, Minister of State, Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma & Meenakashi Lekhi, alongwith Chief Minister, Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues and others.

Speaking to the media on the occasion, Saxena said he would work as the “Local Guardian (L-G)” for every citizen of Delhi rather than the “Lieutenant Governor”.

He thanked President, Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah for entrusting him with the responsibility of the Lieutenant Governor and said he would do his best to fulfil this responsibility.

“Having taken the oath, I want to tell every citizen of Delhi that I will not be their ‘Lieutenant Governor’; instead, I will be their ‘Local Guardian’. I will always be on the streets of Delhi to work for betterment of the city,” the L-G said.

“Delhi is home to millions of people from the weaker sections. Even the poorest of the poor, particularly those working in the unorganized sectors like potters, cobblers, plumbers, carpenters, electricians, street vendors and construction workers, live in this city. Unfortunately, these people were disconnected from the mainstream of society and were forced to live in misery. We will bring new schemes to empower these classes and bring them back to the mainstream,” Saxena said.

The LG referred to the recent protests and violent clashes in the city and urged the people to live with peace and harmony.

He also appealed people to forget what has happened recently over communal clashes and stay together happily.

Talking about local issues such as pollution and traffic jam, he said, “It is a harsh reality that Delhi is considered one of the most polluted cities of the world. Also, the city faces a major problem of traffic jam.”

“With the support of Delhi Government, the Central Government and with the cooperation of each one of you, we will work to get rid of traffic jams and make Delhi free of all pollution, be it air pollution, water pollution or noise pollution. With the mantra of “Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas aur Sabka Vishwas” we will make Delhi the City of Joy and the City of Flowers,” the L-G added.

Saxena, has been the Chairman of Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC), who made KVIC the best performing government institution in the country, has been appointed as new Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi replacing Anil Baijal.