New Delhi, July 24: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved a major reshuffle in the senior bureaucracy, appointing several Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers and a senior Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS) officer to Secretary-level positions across key Ministries and Departments of the Government of India.
According to an official order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the appointments are aimed at strengthening governance, administrative efficiency and leadership across important Central Government Ministries and Departments.
As per the order, Shri Katikithala Srinivas, IAS (Gujarat:1989) has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
Shri Vineet Joshi, IAS (Manipur:1992) has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, succeeding Shri Vivek Bhardwaj, IAS (West Bengal:1990) upon his superannuation on July 31, 2026.
Shri Naresh Pal Gangwar, IAS (Rajasthan:1994) has been appointed Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, while Shri Piyush Goyal, IAS (Nagaland:1994) has been appointed Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
The ACC has also appointed Shri T. K. Anil Kumar, IAS (Karnataka:1995) as Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, and Shri Sushil Kumar Lohani, IAS (Odisha:1995) as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, who will subsequently assume charge as Secretary of the department.
Ms. Archana Varma, IAS (Assam-Meghalaya:1995) has been appointed Mission Director, National Water Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti, in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
Among other appointments, Shri Keshav Chandra, IAS (AGMUT:1996) has been named Secretary, Ministry of Mines, while Ms. D. Thara, IAS (Gujarat:1996) has been appointed Secretary, Department of Capital Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Shri B. Rajender, IAS (Bihar:1996) has been appointed Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
Further, Shri Chandra Bhushan Kumar, IAS (AGMUT:1995) has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, while Shri Satendra Singh, IAS (Jharkhand:1995) has been appointed Secretary, Department of Urban Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
The ACC has also appointed Shri Suchindra Misra, IDAS (1992) as Secretary, National Commission for Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs, in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
In addition, the Cabinet has approved the in-situ upgradation of four senior officers to the level of Special Secretary in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
These include Shri Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, IAS (Uttar Pradesh:1995), Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner; Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav, IAS (Uttar Pradesh:1995), Chairman, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI); Shri Rajeev Singh Thakur, IAS (Rajasthan:1995), Adviser, NITI Aayog; and Shri Dilip Kumar, IAS (Punjab:1996), Director General (Training), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
The appointments are part of a significant administrative reshuffle by the Central Government to strengthen leadership and improve governance across major Ministries and Departments.(KNC)
