New Delhi: In a significant round of senior bureaucratic reshuffles, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Tuesday approved a wide array of postings, transfers, and in-situ upgradations across central government ministries and departments. The decisions span appointments at the Secretary, Special Secretary, and Additional Secretary levels, along with new leadership for several key organisations, signalling a broad recalibration at the upper echelons of the administration.
The reshuffle also includes multiple temporary upgradations of posts, granting personal elevations to officers as part of administrative restructuring.
Key Secretary and Special Secretary-Level Appointments
- Suchindra Misra (IDAS:1992) has been appointed Special Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India, by temporarily upgrading a vacant Additional Secretary post.
- Asit Gopal (IFoS:1990:MP) has been granted in-situ upgradation and posted as Special Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Textiles, elevating his existing post.
- Ramesh Krishnamurthi (IRS-IT:1992) has been upgraded in situ and will continue as Central Provident Fund Commissioner, EPFO, now in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
Read also: ACC Redesignates Three 2012-Batch IAS, IRS and IES Officers as Directors from January 1
Major Additional Secretary-Level Postings and Transfers
Commerce, Skill Development and Telecommunications
- Dilip Kumar (IAS:1995:PB) has been appointed Director General (Training), Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, in the rank of Additional Secretary, through temporary upgradation of a Joint Secretary post.
- Shyamal Misra (IAS:1996:HY) has been appointed Administrator, Digital Bharat Nidhi, Department of Telecommunications, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.
- Lav Aggarwal (IAS:1996:AP) has been appointed Director General, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
President’s Secretariat, Health and Social Ministries
- Aneeta C Meshram (IAS:1996:UP) has been appointed Additional Secretary, President’s Secretariat, replacing Rakesh Gupta (IAS:1997:HY).
- Rakesh Gupta (IAS:1997:HY) has been shifted as Additional Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare.
- Caralyn Khongwar Deshmukh (IAS:1996:MP) has been appointed Additional Secretary, Ministry of Women & Child Development.
- Anandrao Vishnu Patil (IAS:1998:TN) has been transferred as Additional Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education.
Labour, Power, Petroleum and Energy Sectors
- Sonal Mishra (IAS:1997:GJ) has been appointed Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Ministry of Labour & Employment, by keeping recruitment rules in abeyance.
- Ajoy Sharma (IAS:1999:PB) has been promoted as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment.
- Srikant Nagulapalli (IAS:1998:AP) has been appointed Director General of Hydrocarbons, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
- Vedveer Arya (IDAS:1997) has been appointed Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
Food Corporation of India and Environment Ministry
- Rabindra Kumar Agarwal (IAS:1997:KL) has been appointed Chairman & Managing Director, Food Corporation of India (FCI), replacing Ashutosh Agnihotri (IAS:1999:AM).
- Ashutosh Agnihotri (IAS:1999:AM) has been appointed Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.
Cabinet Secretariat, Finance, Defence and Other Key Ministries
- Solomon Arokiaraj (IAS:2000:AP) has been appointed Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, through temporary upgradation.
- Niranjan Kr Sudhansu (IAS:2000:MH) has been appointed Additional Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.
- Vandana Jain (CSS:1991) has been appointed Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Culture.
- Nidhi Pandey (IIS:1991) has been appointed Additional Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy.
- D Saibaba (IRSME:1992) has been appointed Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power.
- Satinder Kumar Bhalla (ITS:1992) has been granted Additional Secretary rank while continuing as Secretary, North Eastern Council Secretariat.
- Dinesh Mahur (ITS:1992) has been appointed Additional Secretary, Department of Defence Production.
- Mayank Tiwari (IRSME:1993) has been appointed Additional Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy.
- Ateesh Kumar Singh (IRS:1994) has been appointed Additional Secretary, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
- Rakesh Mittal (IDES:1995) has been appointed Additional Secretary, Department of Defence.
- D Sai Amutha Devi (IP&TA&FS:1995) has been appointed Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat (SR).
In-Situ Upgradation to Additional Secretary Level Approved
The ACC also approved in-situ upgradation of several officers by temporarily upgrading their posts to the Additional Secretary level:
- Mukesh Mangal (ITS:1992) – Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways
- Meenaxi Rawat (IES:1993) – CVO, BPCL
- Archana Sharma Awasthi (IRS-IT:1994) – Department of School Education & Literacy
- Manoj Kumar (IRS-IT:1994) – DIPAM, Ministry of Finance
- Nitesh Kumar Mishra (ICAS:1995) – Department of Youth Affairs
- Anupam Mishra (IES:1995) – Department of Consumer Affairs
- Anu Nagar (IFoS:1995:HP) – Department of Health Research
- Alok Prem Nagar (IFoS:1995:HP) – Ministry of Panchayati Raj
- Chetan Prakash Jain (IRPS:1995) – CSIR, DSIR
Administrative Significance
This wide-ranging reshuffle reflects the government’s effort to:
- Strengthen leadership at policy-making levels
- Address functional needs through temporary upgradation of posts
- Ensure continuity and efficiency in critical ministries and statutory bodies
Align senior talent with evolving governance priorities ahead of 2026
