New Delhi: In one of the biggest bureaucratic reshuffles this year, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved a series of Secretary-level appointments, transfers and in-situ upgradations involving senior IAS and other civil service officers across key ministries and constitutional bodies.
Issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, the appointments are aimed at ensuring leadership continuity in several ministries ahead of the retirement of incumbent Secretaries over the coming months.
Key Secretary-Level Appointments
The ACC has approved the following appointments:
- Katikithala Srinivas (IAS:1989:Gujarat), presently Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
- Vineet Joshi (IAS:1992:Manipur), Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, succeeding Vivek Bhardwaj (IAS:1990:West Bengal), who retires on July 31, 2026.
- Naresh Pal Gangwar (IAS:1994:Rajasthan), Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, has been appointed Secretary, Department of Higher Education, replacing Vineet Joshi.
- Piyush Goyal (IAS:1994:Nagaland), Secretary, Ministry of Mines, has been appointed Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
- T.K. Anil Kumar (IAS:1995:Karnataka), Additional Secretary, Department of Rural Development, has been appointed Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education.
- Sushil Kumar Lohani (IAS:1995:Odisha), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, has been appointed Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying. He will subsequently assume charge as Secretary after Naresh Pal Gangwar takes over the Higher Education Department.
Appointments Linked to Upcoming Retirements
Several appointments have been made in anticipation of the retirement of incumbent Secretaries.
Archana Varma (IAS:1995:AGMUT), Mission Director of the National Water Mission under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, has been granted the rank and pay of Secretary by temporarily upgrading her post. She will subsequently take over as Secretary, Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs, after Ansuli Arya (IAS:1989:Bihar) retires on September 30, 2026.
Similarly, B. Rajender (IAS:1995:Bihar) has been appointed Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in the rank and pay of Secretary by temporarily upgrading the post. He succeeds Sriram Taranikanti (IAS:1992:Tripura), who superannuates on July 31, 2026.
Chandra Bhushan Kumar (IAS:1995:AGMUT) has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, succeeding Vandana Gurnani (IAS:1991:Karnataka) upon her retirement on July 31, 2026.
New Secretaries in Mines, Housing and Urban Development
The reshuffle also includes several important appointments in infrastructure-related ministries.
- Keshav Chandra (IAS:1995:AGMUT) has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Mines, succeeding Piyush Goyal.
- D. Thara (IAS:1995:Gujarat), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has been appointed Secretary, Department of Capital Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, by operating a vacant Secretary-level post.
- Satendra Singh (IAS:1995:Jharkhand), Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, has been appointed Secretary, Department of Urban Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Other Senior Appointments
The ACC has also approved the appointment of Suchindra Misra (IDAS:1992), presently Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce, as Secretary, National Commission for Minorities, in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
Four Officers Get In-Situ Upgradation
The Cabinet has also approved in-situ upgradation to the rank of Special Secretary/Secretary (personal to the officers) by temporarily upgrading their existing posts.
The officers are:
- Mritunjay Kumar Narayan (IAS:1995:Uttar Pradesh) – Registrar General of India & Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Santosh Kumar Yadav (IAS:1995:Uttar Pradesh) – Chairman, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The post has been restored to Secretary level.
- Rajeev Singh Thakur (IAS:1995:Rajasthan) – Adviser, NITI Aayog.
- Dilip Kumar (IAS:1995:Punjab) – Director General (Training), Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.
Leadership Continuity Across Key Ministries
The latest appointments cover several strategically important ministries and organisations, including Education, Rural Development, Housing and Urban Affairs, Labour & Employment, Animal Husbandry, Mines, Panchayati Raj, the National Human Rights Commission, NITI Aayog and the National Commission for Minorities.
The reshuffle is expected to ensure administrative continuity and strengthen policy implementation across sectors ahead of multiple retirements at the Secretary level.
The appointments have been notified by Manisha Saxena, Secretary, Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and Establishment Officer. Copies of the order have been circulated to all concerned ministries, constitutional authorities and state governments.
