17 Senior Bureaucrats Have Been Appointed to Joint Secretary-Level Positions in the Centre, IAS Rajesh Lakhani Made Commissioner, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved a major reshuffle at the Joint Secretary level, appointing 17 officers from various services, batches, and cadres to key positions. A significant highlight of this reshuffle is the appointment of a regular CEO for the National Land Monetisation Corporation (NLMC).

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Here is the list of newly appointed Joint Secretaries:

1. Mr. Rajesh Lakhani, a 1992-batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS officer – was appointed as Commissioner, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) under the Department of School Education & Literacy until his superannuation on May 31, 2029, replacing Mr. Vinayak Garg, a 1995-batch IRSEE officer.
2. Mr. Manish Thakur, a 1998-batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre IAS officer – Appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs for a tenure of five years, replacing Ms. R Jaya, a 1995-batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS officer.
3. Mr. D Anandan, a 2000-batch Sikkim cadre IAS officer – Appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Expenditure for five years, replacing Mr. Amit Singh Negi, a 1999-batch Uttarakhand cadre IAS officer.
4. Mr. Vijay Nehra, a 2001-batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer – Appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare for five years until October 31, 2028, replacing Mr. P Ashok Babu, a 2003-batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre IAS officer.
5. Mr. Vikas Anand, a 2002-batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer – Appointed as CEO, National Land Monetisation Corporation (NLMC) under the Department of Public Enterprises for five years until February 16, 2028. He replaces Ms. Vasundhara Upamanyu, a 1992-batch IRS (Income Tax) officer, who previously held additional charge.
6. Ms. Petal Dhillon, a 2002-batch IRTS officer – Appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce for five years, replacing Mr. Anant Swarup, a 1992-batch IRPS officer.
7. Mr. Abhinav Gupta, a 2004-batch IRS (Customs & Indirect Taxes) officer – Appointed as Additional Director General, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Department of Commerce for five years, replacing Mr. S C Agarwal, a 1994-batch IRS (Customs & Indirect Taxes) officer.
8. Mr. Santosh Kumar Verma, a 1995-batch IRSS officer – Appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs for five years by temporarily upgrading a vacant post of Director in the Department. He replaces Mr. Vineet Mathur, a 1994-batch IPoS officer.
9. Mr. Samar Nanda, a 2004-batch IRS (Customs & Indirect Taxes) officer – Appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture for five years, replacing Ms. Mugdha Sinha, a 1999-batch Rajasthan cadre IAS officer.
10. Dr. Madhu Rani Teotia, a 2008-batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer – Appointed as Additional CEO, National Health Authority (NHA) for a seven-year tenure until October 4, 2027, replacing Mr. Basant Garg, a 2005-batch Punjab cadre IAS officer.
11. Mr. Sanjay Mehrishi, a 1991-batch IOFS officer – Appointed as Joint Secretary, National Health Authority (NHA) until his superannuation on June 30, 2027.
12. Mr. Praveer Kumar, a 1999-batch IA&AS officer – Appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for five years, replacing Mr. Deepak Agarwal, a 2000-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer.
13. Mr. M N Ajay Nagabhushan, a 2004-batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer – Appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting for five years.
14. Mr. Sanjay Chilwarwar, a 1997-batch IRSSE officer – Appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) until August 31, 2029, replacing Mr. Lalit Bohra, a 1998-batch IRTS officer.
15. Mr. Udit Agrawal, a 2008-batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer – Appointed as Joint Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie for five years, replacing Ms. Radhika Rastogi, a 1995-batch Maharashtra cadre IAS officer.
16. Mr. Pankaj Kumar, a 1991-batch ITS officer – Appointed as Joint Secretary (Logistics), Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT) until superannuation on October 31, 2028, replacing Ms. V Radha, a 1994-batch Maharashtra cadre IAS officer.
17. Dr. Shankari Murali, a 1991-batch ICAS officer – Appointed as Joint Secretary & Financial Adviser, Department of Space until superannuation on February 28, 2027, replacing Mr. M Maheshwar Rao, a 1995-batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer, by temporarily downgrading the vacant post of Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser (AS&FA).

This large-scale reshuffle will strengthen governance and accelerate policy implementation in key ministries and departments.

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