New Delhi: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved a major reshuffle at the Secretary level across various ministries and departments.
Meeta R. Lochan, a 1990 batch officer of the Maharashtra cadre, currently Secretary in the Department of Youth Affairs, has been appointed as Secretary, National Commission for Backward Classes in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. She will take charge after the retirement of A. Neeraja on 31 May 2025.
K Moses Chalai, 1990 batch officer of the Manipur cadre and currently Secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat, has been posted as Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises in the Ministry of Finance.
Manoj Govil, 1991 batch officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre and Secretary, Department of Expenditure, will move to the Cabinet Secretariat as Secretary (Coordination). Vumlunmang Vualnam, 1992 batch officer of the Manipur cadre and Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, will replace him in the Department of Expenditure.
Vandana Gurnani, 1991 batch officer of the Karnataka cadre and currently Secretary (Coordination) in the Cabinet Secretariat, has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Rajit Punhani, 1991 batch officer of the Bihar cadre and presently Secretary, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, will take charge as Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship following the retirement of Atul Kumar Tiwari on 30 June 2025.
Ashish Srivastava, 1992 batch officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre and Advisor in the Inter State Council Secretariat, will become Secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat.
Nikunja Bihari Dhal, 1993 batch officer of the Odisha cadre, has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. He will replace Umang Narula, who retires on 30 June 2025.
Rakesh Kumar Verma, 1993 batch officer of the Punjab cadre and Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Jal Shakti, has been appointed Director General, India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management. The post has been temporarily upgraded to Secretary level.
Anuradha Thakur, 1994 batch officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre and Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, has been appointed Officer on Special Duty, Department of Economic Affairs. She will take over as Secretary upon the retirement of Ajay Seth on 30 June 2025.
Rajesh Agarwal, 1994 batch officer of the Manipur cadre, has been promoted as Special Secretary, Department of Commerce. He will later take charge as Secretary, Department of Commerce, after the retirement of Sunil Barthwal on 30 September 2025.
Arvind Shrivastava, 1994 batch officer of the Karnataka cadre and Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, has been appointed Secretary, Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance.
Vivek Aggarwal, 1994 batch officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre and Additional Secretary in the Department of Revenue, will now serve as Secretary, Ministry of Culture.
Santosh Kumar Sarangi, 1994 batch officer of the Odisha cadre and Director General of Foreign Trade, has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
Pallavi Jain Govil, 1994 batch officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre and Director General of Hydrocarbons, will take over as Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs, after Meeta R. Lochan assumes her new role on 31 May 2025.
Nidhi Chhibber, 1994 batch officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre and Additional Secretary in NITI Aayog, has been appointed Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. She will take over as Secretary upon the retirement of Subrata Gupta on 31 May 2025.
Samir Kumar Sinha, 1994 batch officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre and Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition) in the Department of Defence, has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Hari Ranjan Rao, 1994 batch officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre and Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, has been appointed Officer on Special Duty, Department of Sports. He will become Secretary, Department of Sports, after Sujata Chaturvedi retires on 30 June 2025.
Rajesh Kumar Sinha, 1994 batch officer of the Kerala cadre and Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, has been promoted as Special Secretary in the same ministry. Ranjana Chopra, 1994 batch officer of the Odisha cadre and Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Culture, has also been promoted as Special Secretary and Financial Advisor.
The tenure of Bharat Lal, 1988 batch Indian Forest Service officer of the Gujarat cadre (Retired), as Secretary General of the National Human Rights Commission has been extended for one year beyond 30 June 2025 or until further orders.
BI Bureau
