Picking Rigzin Sampheal (IAS:2003:UP) as his Special Secretary Yogi Adityanath not only made  first appointment in his secretariat but also sent out a message to the state bureaucracy that in addition to competence and credentials hard-work and responsiveness will remain the mantra of Yogi administration. Samphel was also among the top officials in Akhilesh Govt. Hailing from a royal family of Ladakh, Samphel is a commerce graduate from SRCC and an MBA from Delhi University. His field postings as DM of Jalaun and Behraich earned name for responsiveness, listening the problems and innovative solutions. In 2008, his development work got 'The Economist' to call Sampheal one of the "hardest working bureaucrats in the world". He also received an award from the Ministry for Rural Development for the best NREGA implementation, the same year.