The Central Government has executed a major reshuffle at the secretary level, announcing key appointments to pivotal positions within the secretariat. The reshuffle has seen the promotion of five distinguished officers, filling crucial roles and leaving only four secretary-rank positions vacant.
IAS officer Apurva Chandra, a seasoned bureaucrat from the 1988 batch of the Maharashtra cadre, has been appointed as the new Secretary for the Department of Health and Family Welfare. Chandra, previously served as the Secretary for the Ministry of Information & Broadcastin.
Retired 1988 batch officer Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, formerly the Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand, has been appointed as Secretary to the Lokpal on a contractual basis for one year.
IAS officer Raj Kumar Goyal, a 1990 batch officer of UT cadre, has been posted as the Secretary for the Department of Border Management under the Ministry of Home Affairs, further strengthening the government’s focus on national security.
Niten Chandra, a 1990 batch officer currently serving as the Secretary for the Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law & Justice, has been appointed as the Secretary for the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare under the Ministry of Defence.
From the 1990 batch, IAS officer K Moses Chalai has been posted as the Secretary for the Inter State Council Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs, transitioning from his previous role as Secretary for the North Eastern Council Secretariat, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.
IAS officer Anil Malik, a 1991 batch officer from the Haryana cadre, has been appointed as the Secretary for the Ministry of Women and Child Development, succeeding IAS Indevar Pandey upon his superannuation on February 29, 2024.
Several other key appointments and in-situ upgrades to the level of Special Secretary have been announced, including Sumita Dawra as Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment; Vijay Kumar as Chairman of the Inland Waterways Authority of India; Sanjay Jaju as Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting; P Daniel as Secretary, Central Vigilance Commission; Rashmi Chowdhary as Secretary, Central Information Commission, Department of Personnel and Training; A Neeraja as Special Secretary, Department of Fertilizers; and Shyam Bhagat Negi as Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat (SR).
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of IAS Reeta Vasishta as the Member Secretary of the 22nd Law Commission of India.
