Biography

Lav Agarwal is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who is best known for briefing the media about the status of COVID-19 in India at the National Media Centre in Delhi.On attaining a celebrity type status amid this COVID-19, one of his colleagues in the Health Ministry says Every crisis has a hero, and COVID has made Lav one..He was born in a middle-class Agarwal family of Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh.His father, K. G. Agarwal is a renowned Chartered Accountant in Saharanpur who has been in the profession for more than 45 years.Since his childhood, Lav was excellent at studies and after his schooling, he got himself enrolled at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi in 1989. He graduated from IIT Delhi in 1993 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.After his B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering, Lav Agarwal started preparing for the UPSC Examination that he cleared in 1996 and became an IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre.After completing his training, he got his first posting as the Assitant Collector of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh. Thereafter, he went on to serve the Andhra Pradesh Government in different capacities, such as Jt Chief Electoral Officer, Collector & D. M. (West Godavari), Collector & D. M. (Vishakapatnam), and Commissioner/Director (Disaster Management Andhra Pradesh). A Girija Shankar (left), who took over as the new Joint Collector, greeting Collector Lav Agarwal in Visakhapatnam.After his request, the centre government invited him on deputation where he joined as the Joint Secretary in M/o Health & Family Welfare D/o Health & Family Welfare for a period of five years (from 29 August 2016 to 28 August 2021).Mr. Agarwal is considered a meek and unassuming civil servant who is known for his gentle and tranquil communication strategies.In February 2019, Lav Agarwal successfully hosted the delegates & attendees at the 4th Global Digital Health Partnership Summit in New Delhi. Lav Agarwal expressing his gratitude towards the delegates & attendees at the 4th GDHP Summit in New Delhi.