New Delhi: The Central Government on Saturday, October 10, 2026, approved a major bureaucratic reshuffle involving 27 officers appointed to Joint Secretary-level or equivalent positions across various ministries, departments and government organisations.
The appointments cover a wide range of administrative areas, including home affairs, health and family welfare, corporate affairs, culture, commerce, financial services, education, road transport and highways, water resources, urban development and social justice. The orders also include appointments to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the National Health Authority (NHA), the National Testing Agency (NTA), the National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and other government bodies.
Five officers have been appointed as Joint Secretaries in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), one of the key components of the reshuffle. The orders include appointments from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Revenue Service (IRS), Indian Statistical Service (ISS), Indian Railway services and other central services.
The appointments specify different tenure periods, depending on the officer and post. In several cases, officers will serve for five or seven years, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. Some appointments are for a specified combined tenure ending on a particular date.
Brijesh Panday Appointed Joint Secretary in Department of Capital Development
Brijesh Panday (IAS:2004 cadre) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Capital Development for five years from the date he assumes charge, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
He will replace Thara D (IAS:1995).
Nikhil Varma Appointed Additional DGFT in Delhi
Nikhil Varma (IRS-IT:2005) has been appointed Additional Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in Delhi under the Department of Commerce.
His tenure will be five years from the date of assuming charge, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Vrunda Manohar Desai (IRS-IT:2003).
Tanvi Sundriyal Appointed Joint Secretary in Ministry of Corporate Affairs
Tanvi Sundriyal (IAS:2010: Madhya Pradesh cadre) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
Her appointment is for a combined tenure of five years, up to August 25, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. She will replace Rahul Jain (IAS:2005: Madhya Pradesh cadre).
Inderjeet Singh Appointed Joint Secretary in Ministry of Culture
Inderjeet Singh (IAS:2010: Rajasthan cadre) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Culture.
He will serve for a combined tenure of five years, up to August 26, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Amita Prasad Sarbhai (IRAS:1993).
Prakash Rajpurohit Appointed Deputy Election Commissioner
Prakash Rajpurohit (IAS:2010: Rajasthan cadre) has been appointed Deputy Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of India.
His appointment is for a combined tenure of five years, up to April 8, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Sanjay Kumar (IAS:2008: AGMUT cadre).
Tamboli Ayyaj Fakirbhai Appointed Executive Director at IRDAI
Tamboli Ayyaj Fakirbhai (IAS:2009: Chhattisgarh cadre) has been appointed Executive Director at the Joint Secretary level in the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), under the Department of Financial Services.
His appointment is for a combined tenure of five years, up to March 20, 2029, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Rajesh Malik Appointed Executive Director in Food Corporation of India
Rajesh Malik (IRSME:1994) has been appointed Executive Director in the Food Corporation of India (FCI), New Delhi, under the Department of Food and Public Distribution.
He will serve for an overall tenure of five years, up to February 5, 2029, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Ashutosh Joshi (IA&AS:1994).
Mohammed Y Safirulla K Appointed Joint Secretary in Health Department
Mohammed Y Safirulla K (IAS:2010: Kerala cadre) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare.
His appointment is for a combined tenure of five years, up to August 27, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Nikhil Gajraj (IAS:2008: Haryana cadre).
Ritu Sharma Appointed Joint Secretary in Department of Health and Family Welfare
Ritu Sharma (IRS-IT:2005) has also been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare.
Her tenure will be five years from the date of assuming charge, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. She will replace Vandana Jain (CSS).
Varnali Deka Appointed Joint Secretary in National Health Authority
Varnali Deka (IAS:2009: Assam-Meghalaya cadre) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the National Health Authority (NHA), under the Department of Health and Family Welfare.
Her appointment is for a combined tenure of five years, up to August 28, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. She will replace Jyoti Yadav (IAS:2009: Uttarakhand cadre).
More Ashish Madhaorao Appointed Additional CEO of NHA
More Ashish Madhaorao (IAS:2006: AGMUT cadre) has been appointed Additional Chief Executive Officer at the Joint Secretary level in the National Health Authority, under the Department of Health and Family Welfare.
His appointment is for a combined tenure of five years, up to June 15, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Madhu Rani Teotia (IAS:2008: AGMUT cadre).
Vivek Khare Appointed Joint Secretary in National Testing Agency
Vivek Khare (ITS:1996) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the National Testing Agency (NTA), under the Department of Higher Education.
His overall tenure will be five years, up to December 2, 2029, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
The order also provides for the temporary upgradation of a newly created post of Deputy Secretary/Director to the Joint Secretary level in the NTA for an initial period of two years.
Five Officers Appointed Joint Secretaries in Ministry of Home Affairs
Five officers have been appointed Joint Secretaries in the Ministry of Home Affairs as part of the reshuffle. The appointments involve officers from the IAS, IRS and Indian Statistical Service, with each officer replacing an existing incumbent.
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar (IAS:2007: Gujarat cadre) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs for a combined tenure of five years, up to July 31, 2028, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
He will replace M Ramachandrudu (IAS:2009: Bihar cadre).
Chittaranjan Dash
Chittaranjan Dash (IRS-IT:1998) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs for an overall tenure of five years, up to January 11, 2028, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
He will replace Praveen Kumar Rai (IDAS:2003).
P Manoj Kumar
P Manoj Kumar (ISS:1998) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs for an overall tenure of five years, up to December 1, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
He will replace Parthasarathi Gurrala (CSS).
Abhishek Bhagotia
Abhishek Bhagotia (IAS:2007: Assam-Meghalaya cadre) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs for a combined tenure of seven years, up to April 3, 2029, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
He will replace Nishtha Tiwari (IRS-IT:2005).
Fifth MHA Appointment
The five appointments in the Ministry of Home Affairs are part of the wider reshuffle involving 27 officers. The supplied appointment details specifically identify Ravi Shankar, Chittaranjan Dash, P Manoj Kumar and Abhishek Bhagotia among the new Joint Secretaries in the ministry. The fifth officer’s name and posting details are not separately identified in the information provided.
Navin Agarwal Appointed Joint Secretary in Department of Legal Affairs
Navin Agarwal (IRPS:1997) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Legal Affairs.
His overall tenure will be five years, up to March 14, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Ajay Gupta (IRSS:1993).
M Ramachandrudu Appointed Joint Secretary in Ministry of Minority Affairs
M Ramachandrudu (IAS:2009: Bihar cadre), who was previously serving as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
His appointment is for a combined tenure of seven years, up to August 26, 2029, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Ram Singh (IAS:2008: Assam-Meghalaya cadre).
Sonia Pant Appointed Adviser in NITI Aayog
Sonia Pant (IES:2001) has been appointed Adviser at the Joint Secretary level in NITI Aayog.
Her appointment is for five years from the date of assuming charge, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. She will replace Surender Mehra (IFoS:1999).
Nitin Kumar Appointed Additional Secretary at CVC
Nitin Kumar (CSS) has been appointed Additional Secretary at the Joint Secretary level in the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), under the Department of Personnel and Training.
His tenure will be five years from the date of assuming charge, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Ajay Kumar Kanouja (CSS).
C Murugan Appointed Joint Secretary in Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
C Murugan (IAS:2007: West Bengal cadre) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
His appointment is for a combined tenure of five years, up to September 15, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Kamlesh Chaturvedi (IFoS:1988).
Rajneesh Kumar Tomar Appointed CEO of NHLML
Rajneesh Kumar Tomar (IRSME:1998) has been appointed Chief Executive Officer at the Joint Secretary level of National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
His overall tenure will be five years, up to November 2, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Rajesh Malik (IRSME:1994), who has been appointed Executive Director in the Food Corporation of India.
Nishtha Tiwari Appointed CEO of DWBDNCs
Nishtha Tiwari (IRS-IT:2005), who was previously serving as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer at the Joint Secretary level of the Development and Welfare Board for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNCs), under the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Her appointment is for a combined tenure of seven years, up to December 9, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. She will replace Apparao Veerell (IRSS:1993).
Manisha Trighatia Appointed Joint Secretary in Department of Urban Development
Manisha Trighatia (IAS:2002: Uttar Pradesh cadre) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Urban Development.
Her tenure will be five years from the date of assuming charge, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. She will replace Roopa Mishra (IAS:2004: Odisha cadre).
Avinash Jain Appointed Joint Secretary in Department of Water Resources
Avinash Jain (IRSE-Civil:2001) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
His overall tenure will be seven years, up to February 6, 2029, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Subodh Yadav (IAS:1999: Karnataka cadre).
Pawan Kumar Appointed Joint Secretary in National River Conservation Directorate
Pawan Kumar (IRS-C&IT:2005) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD), under the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
His appointment is for five years from the date of assuming charge, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Anand Mohan (IFoS:1996: Rajasthan cadre).
Anita Shah Akella Appointed Joint Secretary in National Commission for Women
Anita Shah Akella (IA&AS:1996) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the National Commission for Women (NCW), under the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
Her overall tenure will be five years, up to May 25, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. She will replace Radhika Chakravarty (IPoS:1996).
Key Takeaways From the Reshuffle
The latest round of appointments spans multiple central ministries, departments and government organisations. Alongside the five appointments to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the reshuffle includes changes in health administration, election management, corporate affairs, culture, education, public distribution, infrastructure, river conservation, minority affairs and women’s welfare.
Several officers have been assigned posts at the Joint Secretary level in specialised institutions, including the National Health Authority, National Testing Agency, IRDAI, NITI Aayog, CVC and NHLML. The orders also provide for tenure periods extending to 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030, depending on the appointment.
The reshuffle includes officers from different services, reflecting the Centre’s appointments across both general administration and specialised technical and departmental roles.
