Major IAS reshuffle: New postings for over a dozen senior bureaucrats in secy-level overhaul

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved a major reshuffle at the Secretary level of bureaucracy, transferring and posting more than a dozen Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers across key central government ministries and departments. These included Chanchal Kumar becoming Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. Chanchal Kumar appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. (HT Photo)The order, issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions on March 31, 2026, effects immediate changes across ministries ranging from Information & Broadcasting to Rural Development, Tourism, Finance, and Education. Nivedita Shukla Verma, a 1991-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has been moved from the Department of Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals to take charge as Secretary of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. She has additionally been given charge of the post of Secretary, Department of Pensions and Pensioners' Welfare. Her previous charge will be taken over by Tejveer Singh, a 1994-batch officer of the Punjab cadre. In a direct swap of postings, Sanjay Jaju ( cadre: Telangana, 1992), who currently serves as Secretary of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, has been appointed Secretary of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER). He replaces Chanchal Kumar (Bihar, 1992), who moves in the opposite direction, taking over as Secretary of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. Narendra Bhooshan, a 1992-batch IAS officer from the UP cadre, who was presently posted within his cadre, has been appointed Secretary of the Department of Land Resources under the Ministry of Rural Development. Chandra Sekhar Kumar (Odisha, 1992), who was serving as Secretary of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare. Rohit Kansal (AGMUT, 1995), Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Textiles, has been appointed Secretary of the Department of Rural Development. He takes over from Shailesh Kumar Singh (Jharkhand, 1991), who superannuated on March 31, 2026 — the same date as the order. Further, Bharat Harbanslal Khera (Himachal Pradesh, 1996), Additional Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs, has been appointed Officer on Special Duty (OSD) at the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India. He will formally take charge upon the superannuation of the incumbent, Subhas Chandra Lal Das (AGMUT, 1992), on April 30, 2026. In an appointment amid controversies surrounding the examination body in recent years, Abhishek Singh (Nagaland, 1995), currently Director General of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has been transferred as Director General of the National Testing Agency (NTA) under the Ministry of Education. He will hold the post in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India, with the post being temporarily upgraded for the purpose. The NTA conducts several of India's most high-stakes competitive examinations, including NEET, JEE (Main), and UGC-NET, and has been under intense public and parliamentary scrutiny over examination integrity and administration. His departure from the Ministry of Minority Affairs creates a vacancy that has been filled by Srivatsa Krishna, a 1994-batch officer of the Karnataka cadre, who has been transferred from the Ministry of Tourism. Bhuvnesh Kumar (UP, 1995), currently serving as CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), will now take over as Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism in place of Srivatsa Krishna. Sanjay Lohiya from the 1994 batch of the Assam-Meghalaya (AM) cadre, currently Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Mines, has been appointed Special Secretary of the Department of Financial Services. His appointment has been made possible by temporarily upgrading a vacant Joint Secretary post in the department. He is designated to take over as full Secretary of the Department of Financial Services upon the superannuation of the incumbent, Nagaraju Maddirala. Separately, the ACC approved in-situ upgradations for two senior IAS officers. Sanjay Rastogi (Odisha, 1991), Director General of the National Archives of India under the Ministry of Culture, has been granted the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India while continuing in his current position. Similarly, Sajjan Singh Yadav (AGMUT, 1996), Additional Secretary in the Department of Expenditure under the Ministry of Finance, has been designated Special Secretary in the rank and pay of Secretary. In-situ upgradations are typically granted as personal measures to officers whose current postings are deemed to warrant a higher grade, and do not affect their official designation or responsibilities in any substantive way. Taken together, Tuesday's ACC order affects 12 Secretary-level postings and two in-situ upgradations. 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