Ayodhya(UP), Sep 3 (PTI) Retired Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra arrived in Ayodhya on Thursday to take over his new assignment as the first CEO of the Ram temple trust, saying he was fortunate to have been given vital responsibilities twice – once to serve the nation and now to serve Lord Ram and his devotees.
Air Marshal Mishra (retd), who headed the Western Air Command during Operation Sindoor, was on Wednesday appointed the first CEO of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust that oversees the management and operations of the Ram temple.
Speaking to reporters soon after his arrival here, Mishra said he would first take charge and understand the organisation before outlining his plans.
“I have reached Ayodhya for the first time after being given this new responsibility. Let me go, take over and understand everything. All the planning will be told to you after that,” the 62-year-old Mishra said.
Expressing gratitude to the selection committee and the Trust, he said he considered his appointment a result of the blessings of Lord Ram.
“My heart is full of gratitude, and I consider myself the most fortunate person today to have been given vital responsibilities twice in my life – once for national service and now for the organisation and administration of Shri Ram’s temple and for Shri Ram’s devotees,” he said.
Mishra retired as head of the Western Air Command on April 30, 2026. His selection came after a process in which 5,585 applications were received and was finalised from a shortlist of three candidates.
The Air Force veteran asserted that he was familiar with developments in the region as he belonged to Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria district and frequently travelled to Gorakhpur and Varanasi.
“I am from this state and keep travelling to Deoria, Gorakhpur and Varanasi. Kashi is progressing, our state and our country are also progressing, and Ayodhya too is progressing in the same way,” Mishra said.
The appointment of a CEO is part of a wider administrative overhaul by the Trust following the controversy over alleged embezzlement of temple donations, which led to the arrest of eight people and the resignation of Champat Rai as general secretary. PTI CDN DV DV
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