ACC clears Additional Secretary postings in Finance, Steel, Education reshuffle
Synopsis
The ACC on 25 September cleared over 10 senior IAS appointments in one sweep, placing new Additional Secretaries in Finance, Steel, Education and Rural Development. The standout move: AAI Chairman Vipin Kumar heads to Rural Development, while a new CBSE chief is named — signalling both routine rotation and pointed reinforcements ahead of the budget cycle.
Key Takeaways
The ACC approved a multi-ministry bureaucratic reshuffle on 25 September 2026 , covering over 10 IAS and IES officers .
Vipin Kumar , AAI Chairman , has been posted as Additional Secretary, Department of Rural Development .
The Finance Ministry gains two new Additional Secretaries: Srikant Nagulapalli (Expenditure) and Anand Singh (Economic Affairs).
Bhandari (AGMUT:2001) has been appointed CBSE Chairperson in Additional Secretary rank.
Sarita Chauhan Chand becomes Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, Ministry of Steel ; Ankita Mishra Bundela moves to Higher Education .
Ponnuraj succeeds Nagulapalli as Director General of Hydrocarbons .
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Friday, 25 September 2026, approved a fresh round of senior bureaucratic postings, placing new Additional Secretaries in critical ministries including Finance, Rural Development, Steel, and Higher Education. The reshuffle affects more than a dozen Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers drawn from multiple cadres and batches.
Key Postings in Finance Ministry
Srikant Nagulapalli, a 1998 batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, has been appointed Additional Secretary, Department of Expenditure in the Finance Ministry. He previously served as Director General of Hydrocarbons in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. Alongside him, Anand Singh, a Kerala cadre IAS officer of the 2000 batch, has been appointed Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, following completion of his foreign assignment. With these two postings, the Finance Ministry gains a pair of fresh Additional Secretaries simultaneously.
AAI Chairman Moved to Rural Development
Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Vipin Kumar has been shifted to the Department of Rural Development as Additional Secretary, marking a notable lateral move from aviation administration to rural policy. His departure from AAI leaves a leadership gap at the civil aviation body that is expected to be filled separately.
Steel, Education and Other Appointments
Sarita Chauhan Chand, a 1999 batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer, has been appointed Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, Ministry of Steel, moving from her current role in the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances. Ankita Mishra Bundela, a 2001 batch AGMUT cadre officer who was serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, has been posted as Additional Secretary, Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education.
Mandeep K. Bhandari (IAS, AGMUT:2001) has been appointed Chairperson, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary — a significant appointment given the board's oversight of school examinations affecting millions of students. Manisha Sensarma (IES:1995) has been appointed Additional Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, with the post temporarily upgraded for the purpose.
Hydrocarbons, Water and Personnel Posts
V. Ponnuraj (IAS, KN:2000) has been appointed Director General of Hydrocarbons in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary, succeeding Nagulapalli. Piyush Singh (IAS, MH:2000), previously Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Power, has been appointed Mission Director, National Water Mission under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. P. Hemalatha (IAS, KN:2000), serving as Development Commissioner, Cochin Special Economic Zone, has been named Additional Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
What the Reshuffle Signals
The breadth of Friday's reshuffle — spanning at least 10 officers across cadres including AGMUT, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka — reflects routine succession planning at the Additional Secretary level as officers complete tenure-linked postings. Notably, the simultaneous reinforcement of the Finance Ministry with two senior officers ahead of the budget cycle, and the appointment of a new CBSE chief, give the reshuffle operational significance beyond standard rotation. The ACC, chaired by the Prime Minister, is the apex body approving appointments at this seniority level.
Point of View
But their downstream effects matter: who sits in the Department of Expenditure and the Department of Economic Affairs shapes how ministry budgets are defended and how reform proposals reach the Finance Minister. The simultaneous posting of two fresh Additional Secretaries to Finance, weeks into the second half of the financial year, is worth watching. Equally notable is the CBSE appointment — the board is mid-cycle on curriculum reforms and examination policy overhauls, making leadership continuity a real operational question, not a ceremonial one.
NationPress
26 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the ACC approve on 25 September 2026?
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved a fresh batch of senior bureaucratic postings on 25 September 2026, placing new Additional Secretaries in the Finance Ministry, Rural Development, Steel, Higher Education, and several other departments. More than 10 IAS and IES officers were covered in the reshuffle.
Who has been appointed as the new CBSE Chairperson?
Mandeep K. Bhandari, a 2001 batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer, has been appointed Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary. The appointment was part of the broader ACC reshuffle cleared on 25 September.
Why has AAI Chairman Vipin Kumar been posted to Rural Development?
Vipin Kumar, who was serving as Chairman of the Airports Authority of India, has been reassigned as Additional Secretary in the Department of Rural Development as part of the ACC's routine tenure-linked rotation of senior IAS officers. The reasons for the specific cross-ministry shift have not been elaborated upon officially.
Which officers have been posted to the Finance Ministry?
Two officers have been posted to Finance: Srikant Nagulapalli (IAS, AP:1998) as Additional Secretary, Department of Expenditure, and Anand Singh (IAS, Kerala:2000) as Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs. Anand Singh returns from a foreign assignment.
Who will succeed Srikant Nagulapalli as Director General of Hydrocarbons?
V. Ponnuraj, a 2000 batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer, has been appointed Director General of Hydrocarbons in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary, succeeding Nagulapalli who moves to the Finance Ministry.
