Centre clears names of 20 top IAS officers to head key Ministries in jumbo rejig

New Delhi, April 18: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Friday cleared the promotions of top IAS officers to fill key Secretary-level posts which have or are going to fall vacant due to the superannuation of incumbents, along with an accompanying reshuffle in posts. The exercise involves changes in around 20 top-level posts in various ministries at the Centre.

IAS officer Arvind Shrivastava, who was Additional Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office, has been appointed as the new Revenue Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.

Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam has been named as Secretary, Department of Expenditure, in the Ministry of Finance. He succeeds Manoj Govil, who has been appointed as Secretary (Coordination), Cabinet Secretariat. Govil replaces Vandana Gurnani, who has been laterally moved from the Cabinet Secretariat as the new Union Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment. She replaces Sumita Dawra, who retired on March 31.

Samir Kumar Sinha, who is currently the Additional Secretary & Director General (Acquisition), Department of Defence, will be the new Civil Aviation Secretary.

Anuradha Thakur, an IAS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, has been picked as the next Union Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, in the rank and pay of Secretary at the Centre. She will take charge as Officer on Special Duty, DEA and will take over from Ajay Seth on his superannuation on June 30. Currently, she is the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Rajesh Agarwal has been appointed as the next Union Secretary, Commerce. He was elevated (in situ) as Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce, where he is serving as Additional Secretary. He will succeed the outgoing Commerce Secretary, Sunil Barthwal, upon his superannuation on September 30.

Vivek Aggarwal, a 1994 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Culture. Currently, Additional Secretary in the Department of Revenue, he is also holding the charge of Director, Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND). He will be moving to his new post on a promotion.

Other senior officers have been appointed to key central government departments as part of the bureaucratic rejig, include Santosh Kumar Sarangi, who has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The post fell vacant after P.K. Singh moved to his state cadre, Manipur, as Chief Secretary. Currently, Sarangi is working as Director General, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

K. Moses Chalai was appointed as Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) under the Ministry of Finance. Currently, he is Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat (ISCS) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. He replaces Ali Raza Rizvi, who retired on July 31, 2024. Currently, the additional charge of DPE is with Arunish Chawla.

Ashish Srivastava will be the new Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat. He is currently working as an Advisor at the Inter-State Council Secretariat.

Rajit Punhani, currently the Secretary, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, to succeed Atul Kumar Tiwari, who is retiring on June 30.

Pallavi Jain Govil, an IAS officer of the MP cadre, was appointed as Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs, and will succeed incumbent Meeta R. Lochan on June 1. Currently, she is the Director General of Hydrocarbons, in the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. Lochan has been appointed as Secretary, National Commission for Backward Classes under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment in the rank and pay of Secretary at the Centre, replacing A. Neeraja, who superannuates on May 31 this year.

Nidhi Chhibber, Additional Secretary, NITI Aayog, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, in the rank and pay of Secretary at the Centre. She will take charge from Subrata Gupta upon his superannuation on May 31.

Nikunja Bihari Dhal has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. He will succeed Umang Narula upon his superannuation on June 30.

Rakesh Kumar Verma was appointed as Director General, India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management, in the rank and pay of Secretary at the Centre by temporarily upgrading and redesignating the post of Director General (Training) in the Election Commission of India. Currently, he is an Additional Secretary in the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Hari Ranjan Rao has been appointed as OSD, Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, in the rank and pay of Secretary. Currently, he is an Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office. He will take over from Sujata Chaturvedi upon her superannuation on June 30.

Further, the ACC approved in-situ upgradation of two IAS officers belonging to the 1994 batch to the level of Special Secretary in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India as a measure personal to them by temporarily upgrading the posts held by them. They are Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ranjana Chopra, Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Culture.

The tenure of Bharat Lal (retd IFoS), currently working as Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission on a contract basis, has also been extended for a period of one year beyond June 30 or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

Reader Comments

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Priya M.

Interesting reshuffle! Glad to see experienced officers getting key positions. Arvind Shrivastava's move to Revenue Secretary seems particularly important given current economic challenges. Hope these changes bring fresh perspectives.

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Rahul K.

While I appreciate the experience of these officers, I wonder if we're seeing enough younger talent in these key positions? The bureaucracy needs fresh blood too. Just my respectful observation.

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Sunita P.

Anuradha Thakur's appointment to DEA is great news! We need more women in top economic roles 👏 Her corporate affairs background should bring valuable insights to economic policymaking.

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Amit D.

The civil aviation ministry getting a new secretary from defense acquisition background is an interesting choice. Hope this means better coordination between defense and civilian aviation sectors!

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Neha R.

So many changes at once! Hope there's proper handover between officers to maintain continuity in important projects. The energy and skill development ministries especially need stable leadership right now.

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Vikram S.

Good to see officers from different state cadres getting central postings. Brings diverse regional perspectives to national policymaking. Especially happy about the MP cadre representation!

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.