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ACC Clears Major Bureaucratic Reshuffle: 14 IAS Officers Get New Secretary Roles; Alka Upadhyaya Appointed NCM Secretary

Top IAS Officers Reassigned as Centre Implements Strategic Realignments Ahead of Administrative Cycles: Alka Upadhyaya, Rajit Punhani, Piyush Goyal Among Key Moves
IES Simmi Chaudhary
Indian Masterminds Stories

New Delhi: In a significant bureaucratic reshuffle, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), chaired by the Prime Minister, has approved a series of high-level appointments and transfers across various ministries and departments.

The changes involve multiple Secretary and Special Secretary-level positions and are aimed at maintaining administrative efficiency as several senior officers near retirement.

Below is a detailed list of the key decisions made:

Major Secretary-Level Appointments & Transfers

1 – Alka Upadhyaya Appointed Secretary, National Commission for Minorities

    • Previous Role: Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying
    • New Role: Secretary, National Commission for Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs
    • Cadre: IAS (MP:1990)
    • She replaces Shri Naresh Pal Gangwar, who moves to Animal Husbandry.

    2- Rajit Punhani to Head FSSAI

      • Previous Role: Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship
      • New Role: CEO, Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Health Ministry
      • Cadre: IAS (BH:1991)
      • Takes over from Ganji Kamala V. Rao (Retd.); post temporarily upgraded to Secretary rank.

      3- Debashree Mukherjee Moved to Skill Development Ministry

        • Previous Role: Secretary, Department of Water Resources, Jal Shakti Ministry
        • New Role: Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship
        • Cadre: IAS (AGMUT:1991)
        • Succeeds Rajit Punhani.

        4- Vijay Kumar to Head Shipping Ministry

          • Current Role: Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority
          • New Role: OSD, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways; to take over as Secretary on superannuation of T.K. Ramachandran (Sept 30)
          • Cadre: IAS (AGMUT:1992)

          5- V. L. Kantha Rao Shifted to Jal Shakti

            • Previous Role: Secretary, Ministry of Mines
            • New Role: Secretary, Department of Water Resources
            • Cadre: IAS (MP:1992)
            • Replaces Debashree Mukherjee.

            6- Sukriti Likhi to Lead Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare

              • Current Role: Chairperson, National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention
              • New Role: OSD, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare; will take charge as Secretary post-October 1
              • Cadre: IAS (HY:1993)

              7- Ranjana Chopra to Lead Tribal Affairs

                • Current Role: Special Secretary & FA, Ministry of Culture
                • New Role: OSD, Ministry of Tribal Affairs; to become Secretary post-October 1
                • Cadre: IAS (OR:1994)

                8- Naresh Pal Gangwar to Animal Husbandry

                  • Previous Role: Additional Secretary, Environment Ministry
                  • New Role: Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying
                  • Cadre: IAS (RJ:1994)
                  • Succeeds Alka Upadhyaya.

                  9- Niraj Verma Appointed Justice Secretary

                    • Previous Role: Administrator, USOF, Dept of Telecommunications
                    • New Role: OSD, Department of Justice; will take over as Secretary post-August 31
                    • Cadre: IAS (AM:1994)
                    • Replaces Raj Kumar Goyal (Superannuating).

                    10- Atish Chandra Promoted as Special Secretary in PMO

                      • Current Role: Additional Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office
                      • New Role: Special Secretary, PMO
                      • Cadre: IAS (BH:1994)
                      • Post temporarily upgraded to Special Secretary as personal measure.

                      11- Piyush Goyal to Lead Ministry of Mines

                        • Previous Role: CEO, NATGRID (MHA)
                        • New Role: Secretary, Ministry of Mines
                        • Cadre: IAS (NL:1994)
                        • Succeeds V. L. Kantha Rao.

                        12- Sanjay Garg to Head Bureau of Indian Standards

                          • Previous Role: Addl Secretary, DARE & Secretary, ICAR
                          • New Role: OSD, BIS, Ministry of Consumer Affairs; will take over as DG post-October 31
                          • Cadre: IAS (KL:1994)
                          • Succeeds Pramod Kumar Tiwari; post temporarily upgraded to Secretary level.

                          13- Roli Singh to Lead National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention

                            • Previous Role: Additional Secretary, Health Ministry
                            • New Role: Chairperson, NACWC
                            • Cadre: IAS (RJ:1994)
                            • Replaces Sukriti Likhi.

                            14- Trishaljit Sethi Appointed Secretary, Central Vigilance Commission

                              • Previous Role: Director General (Training), Ministry of Skill Development
                              • New Role: Secretary, Central Vigilance Commission
                              • Cadre: IPoS:1990
                              • Post upgraded temporarily to Secretary level.

                              Key Themes in the Reshuffle

                              • Several inter-ministry lateral movements.
                              • Succession planning in anticipation of upcoming superannuations.
                              • Temporary upgrades to Secretary rank for continuity and recognition.
                              • Renewed focus on institutional leadership in critical sectors: mining, vigilance, ex-servicemen welfare, food safety, and tribal affairs.

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