Government Approves Promotions for 20 Senior IAS Officers in Major Restructuring

New Delhi, April 18 (NationPress) The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has officially sanctioned the advancements of several prominent IAS officers to occupy crucial Secretary-level positions that are currently vacant or will soon be vacated due to the retirement of existing officeholders. This initiative entails adjustments in approximately 20 senior-level roles across various central ministries.

Arvind Shrivastava, previously serving as Additional Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office, has been named the new Revenue Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.

Vumlunmang Vualnam, the current Civil Aviation Secretary, will now take the role of Secretary in the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, succeeding Manoj Govil, who transitions to Secretary (Coordination) at the Cabinet Secretariat. Govil replaces Vandana Gurnani, who has been reassigned from the Cabinet Secretariat to become the new Union Secretary for the Ministry of Labour & Employment, following the retirement of Sumita Dawra on March 31.

Samir Kumar Sinha, presently the Additional Secretary & Director General (Acquisition) at the Department of Defence, will be the next Civil Aviation Secretary.

Anuradha Thakur, an IAS officer from the Himachal Pradesh cadre, is appointed as the forthcoming Union Secretary for the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, set to take over from Ajay Seth upon his retirement on June 30. She is currently the Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Rajesh Agarwal will now serve as the Union Secretary for Commerce, having been promoted (in situ) from his role as Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce, where he was previously operating as Additional Secretary. He will replace the outgoing Commerce Secretary, Sunil Barthwal, after his retirement on September 30.

Vivek Aggarwal, an IAS officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been assigned as Secretary, Ministry of Culture. He currently holds the position of Additional Secretary in the Department of Revenue and also oversees the Directorate of Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND). He will transition to his new role on a promotion.

Additional senior officers have been appointed to significant central government departments as part of this bureaucratic reshuffle. Notably, Santosh Kumar Sarangi has been named Secretary for the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, following the vacancy left by P.K. Singh who moved to his state cadre in Manipur as Chief Secretary. Sarangi was previously the Director General of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

K. Moses Chalai has been appointed Secretary for the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) under the Ministry of Finance. He currently serves as Secretary for the Inter-State Council Secretariat (ISCS) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, succeeding Ali Raza Rizvi, who retired on July 31, 2024. The additional responsibility of DPE is currently held by Arunish Chawla.

Ashish Srivastava will now serve as the Secretary for the Inter-State Council Secretariat. He is presently working as an Advisor in the same Secretariat.

Rajit Punhani, who currently serves as Secretary for the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, has been appointed as Secretary for the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, succeeding Atul Kumar Tiwari, who is set to retire on June 30.

Pallavi Jain Govil, an IAS officer from the MP cadre, has been designated as Secretary for the Department of Youth Affairs, taking over from Meeta R. Lochan on June 1. Currently, she is the Director General of Hydrocarbons in the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. Lochan has been appointed as Secretary of the National Commission for Backward Classes under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, replacing A. Neeraja, who retires on May 31.

Nidhi Chhibber, currently the Additional Secretary at NITI Aayog, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, in the rank and pay of Secretary at the Centre, succeeding Subrata Gupta upon his retirement on May 31.

Nikunja Bihari Dhal has been appointed as Secretary for the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, succeeding Umang Narula upon his retirement on June 30.

Rakesh Kumar Verma has been appointed as Director General of the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management, in the rank and pay of Secretary at the Centre, by temporarily upgrading and redesignating the post of Director General (Training) in the Election Commission of India. Currently, he is an Additional Secretary in the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Hari Ranjan Rao has been appointed as OSD for the Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, at the rank and pay of Secretary, succeeding Sujata Chaturvedi upon her retirement on June 30.

Moreover, the ACC has approved the in-situ upgrade of two IAS officers from the 1994 batch to the level of Special Secretary in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India. This upgrade is a personal measure for them, temporarily enhancing the posts they currently hold. The officers are Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, and Ranjana Chopra, Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor at the Ministry of Culture.

The tenure of Bharat Lal (retd IFoS), who is presently working as Secretary General of the National Human Rights Commission on a contract basis, has also been extended for an additional year beyond June 30 or until further orders, whichever comes first.