New Delhi: In an unusual administrative shake-up that has raised questions within official circles, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has removed three senior members of Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav's personal staff simultaneously, without offering any public explanation for the sweeping changes.
The reshuffle, formalised through three separate orders issued on July 3, saw the Minister's Private Secretary repatriated to his parent cadre on "administrative grounds", one Additional Private Secretary (APS) sent back prematurely, and another APS removed through termination of his appointment with immediate effect.
Despite the significance of the coordinated action, the ministry has remained silent. The Indian Express reported that it sought comments from senior ministry officials but received no response.
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2010-batch IRS officer Amar Singh repatriated
According to the ministry's order, Amar Singh, an Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer of the 2010 batch serving as Private Secretary to the Minister, has been repatriated to the Department of Revenue with immediate effect on "administrative grounds". The order does not elaborate on what prompted the decision.
Singh had been serving Bhupender Yadav since 2021, when the latter headed the Ministry of Labour and Employment. He was promoted from Deputy Secretary to Director in 2024, and a Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) memorandum issued last year had extended his tenure as Private Secretary until September 7, 2026, or until further orders. His abrupt removal comes well before the scheduled completion of that tenure.
Shailesh Kumar Singh and Ayush Sharan terminated
In a separate order, Shailesh Kumar Singh, Additional Private Secretary to the Minister, was "prematurely repatriated" to the Department of Personnel and Training with "extended cooling off" and directed to report to his parent cadre immediately. The order offers no reasons for the premature repatriation.
A third order terminated the appointment of Ayush Saran as Additional Private Secretary with immediate effect. The decision was issued pursuant to a DoPT Office Memorandum dated July 2, 2026, and approved by the competent authority. The order, signed by Under Secretary Vibhuti Panjiyar, was circulated to the Prime Minister's Office, Cabinet Secretariat and the Department of Personnel and Training, among other offices.
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The simultaneous removal of three senior members of a Union Minister's personal staff is an uncommon administrative development. However, neither the ministry nor the government has publicly clarified the circumstances behind the coordinated action, leaving the reasons for the reshuffle undisclosed.
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