ACC approves major bureaucratic reshuffle across ministries

New Delhi: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has announced a major reshuffle involving several high-level appointments across ministries and departments of the Government of India. The reshuffle includes secretaries being reassigned, promoted, and appointed in key administrative roles. Here is the full list of officers involving their respective roles:

Meeta R Lochan, IAS (MH:90), currently Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, has been appointed as Secretary, National Commission for Backward Classes, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. She will replace A. Neeraja, IFoS (UP:90), who is set to retire on May 31, 2025.

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K Moses Chalai, IAS (MN:90), Secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Finance.

Manoj Govil, IAS (MP:91), presently Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, has been appointed as Secretary (Coordination), Cabinet Secretariat. He will replace Vandana Gurnani, IAS (KN:91), who has now been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment.

Rajit Punhani, IAS (BH:91), currently serving as Secretary, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, will take charge as Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, replacing Atul Kumar Tiwari, IAS (KN:90), upon his retirement on June 30, 2025.

Ashish Srivastava, IAS (MP:92), Advisor at the Inter State Council Secretariat, has been promoted as Secretary of the same Secretariat, succeeding K Moses Chalai.

Vumlunmang Vualnam, IAS (MN:92), Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, has been transferred as Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, replacing Manoj Govil.

Nikunja Bihari Dhal, IAS (OR:93), currently in the cadre, has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. He will succeed Umang Narula, IAS (AGMUT:89), upon his retirement on June 30, 2025.

Rakesh Kumar Verma, IAS (PB:93), Additional Secretary, Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Jal Shakti, has been appointed as Director General, India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management, in the rank of Secretary. The position has been temporarily upgraded.

Anuradha Thakur, IAS (HP:94), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance. She will succeed Ajay Seth, IAS (KN:87), upon his retirement on June 30, 2025.

Rajesh Agarwal, IAS (MN:94), Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, has been promoted as Special Secretary in the same department. He will take over as Secretary, Department of Commerce, following the superannuation of Sunil Barthwal, IAS (BH:89) on September 30, 2025.

Arvind Shrivastava, IAS (KN:94), Additional Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office, has been appointed Secretary, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.

Vivek Aggarwal, IAS (MP:94), Additional Secretary, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, will now serve as Secretary, Ministry of Culture.

Santosh Kumar Sarangi, IAS (OR:94), Director General, Directorate General of Foreign Trade, will be the new Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Pallavi Jain Govil, IAS (MP:94), Director General of Hydrocarbons, will be appointed Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, succeeding Meeta R. Lochan. She will continue in her current role until May 31, 2025, in the rank of Secretary.

Nidhi Chhibber, IAS (CG:94), Additional Secretary, NITI Aayog, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Food Processing Industries. She will take over as Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, succeeding Subrata Gupta, IAS (WB:90) upon his retirement on May 31, 2025.

Samir Kumar Sinha, IAS (AM:94), Additional Secretary & Director General (Acquisition), Department of Defence, has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Additionally, the ACC approved the in-situ upgradation of the following officers:

Hari Ranjan Rao, IAS (MP:94), Additional Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office, has been appointed Officer on Special Duty, Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. He will take over as Secretary, Department of Sports, replacing Sujata Chaturvedi, IAS (BH:89), upon her superannuation on June 30, 2025.

Rajesh Kumar Sinha, IAS (KL:94), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, has been promoted as Special Secretary in the same ministry.

Ranjana Chopra, IAS (OR:94), Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Culture, has been designated as Special Secretary & Financial Advisor in the same ministry.

Furthermore, the tenure of Bharat Lal, IFoS (GJ:88) (Retd.), Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission, has been extended on a contract basis for one year beyond June 30, 2025, or until further orders.

This large-scale reshuffle is a strategic move to ensure continuity in leadership and strengthen administrative machinery across various departments of the government.

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