ACC approves major round of appointments, postings and in-situ upgradations across ministries

In a fresh round of senior bureaucratic changes, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Tuesday (December 30, 2025) cleared several postings, transfers and in-situ upgradations across the Centre. The latest decisions cover appointments at the Secretary and Additional Secretary level, along with new heads for key organisations. A number of officers have also been given personal upgradations through temporary elevation of posts, signalling a wider reshuffle at the top tiers of the administration.

The names of the officers and their postings details are as follows;

1. Suchindra Misra (IDAS:1992), presently serving in the cadre, has been appointed as Special Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India by temporarily upgrading a vacant post of Additional Secretary in the Department.
2. Dilip Kumar (IAS:1995:PB), presently in the cadre, has been posted as Director General (Training), Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India by temporarily upgrading a vacant post of Joint Secretary in the Ministry.
3. Shyamal Misra (IAS:1996:HY), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Administrator (Digital Bharat Nidhi), Department of Telecommunications, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.
4. Aneeta C Meshram (IAS:1996:UP), Additional Secretary, Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, is appointed as Additional Secretary, President’s Secretariat. She will replace Rakesh Gupta (IAS:1997:HY), who is shifted to Department of Health & Family Welfare ad Additional Secretary.
5. Lav Aggarwal (IAS:1996:AP), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Women & Child Development, has been appointed as Director General, Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.
6. Caralyn Khongwar Deshmukh (IAS:1996:MP), Additional Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, is appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Women & Child Development.
7. Rakesh Gupta (IAS:1997:HY), Additional Secretary, President’s Secretariat, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
8. Sonal Mishra (IAS:1997:GJ), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, has been appointed as Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Ministry of Labour & Employment, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary, by keeping the Recruitment Rules of the post in abeyance.
9. Rabindra Kumar Agarwal (IAS:1997:KL), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, has been appointed as Chairman & Managing Director, Food Corporation of India, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India. He will replace Ashutosh Agnihotri (IAS:1999:AM).
10. Srikant Nagulapalli (IAS:1998:AP), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power, has been appointed as Director General of Hydrocarbons, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.
11. Anandrao Vishnu Patil (IAS:1998:TN), Additional Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, is appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education.
12. Ajoy Sharma (IAS:1999:PB), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, by restoring the post to Additional Secretary level.
13. Ashutosh Agnihotri (IAS:1999:AM), Chairman & Managing Director, Food Corporation of India, is appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.
14. Solomon Arokiaraj (IAS:2000:AP), Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, is appointed as Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat by temporarily upgrading a vacant post of DS/Director in the Cabinet Secretariat.
15. Niranjan Kr Sudhansu (IAS:2000:MH), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. He will replace Sonal Mishra (IAS:1997:GJ).
16. Vandana Jain (CSS:1991), Joint Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Culture.
17. Nidhi Pandey (IIS:1991), Joint Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy.
18. D Saibaba (IRSME:1992), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power.
19. Satinder Kumar Bhalla (ITS:1992), Secretary, North Eastern Council Secretariat, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, has been appointed as Secretary, North Eastern Council Secretariat, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.
20. Dinesh Mahur (ITS:1992), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Mines, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence.
21. Mayank Tiwari (IRSME:1993), Joint Secretary, Department of Defence, Ministry of Defence, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy.
22. Ateesh Kumar Singh (IRS:1994), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, is appointed as Additional Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
23. Rakesh Mittal (IDES:1995), Joint Secretary, Department of Defence, Ministry of Defence, is appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Defence, Ministry of Defence.
24. D Sai Amutha Devi (IP&TA&FS:1995), Joint Secretary, Office Of Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat, is appointed as Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat (SR).
25. Vedveer Arya (IDAS:1997), Additional FA & Joint Secretary, Ministry of Defence (Finance), is appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.

The ACC has also approved in-situ upgradation of the following officers to the level of Special Secretary in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India by temporarily upgrading the post held by them:

1. Asit Gopal (IFoS:1990:MP), Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Textiles, has been posted as Special Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Textiles.
2. Ramesh Krishnamurthi (IRS-IT:1992), Central Provident Fund Commissioner, EPFO, as Central Provident Fund Commissioner, EPFO, in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.

The ACC has also approved in-situ upgradation of the following officers to the level of Additional Secretary to the Government of India by temporarily upgrading the posts held by them:

1. Mukesh Mangal (ITS:1992), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways.
2. Meenaxi Rawat (IES:1993), CVO, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd., Mumbai, as Additional Secretary, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.
3. Archana Sharma Awasthi (IRS-IT:1994), Joint Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, as Additional Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy.
4. Manoj Kumar (IRS-IT:1994), Joint Secretary, Department of Investment & Public Asset Management, Ministry of Finance, as Additional Secretary, DIPAM, Ministry of Finance.
5. Nitesh Kumar Mishra (ICAS:1995), Joint Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, as Additional Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs.
6. Anupam Mishra (IES:1995), Joint Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, as Additional Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs.
7. Anu Nagar (IFoS:1995:HP), Joint Secretary, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, as Additional Secretary, Department of Health Research.
8. Alok Prem Nagar (IFoS:1995:HP), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
9. Chetan Prakash Jain (IRPS:1995), Joint Secretary & Financial Adviser, CSIR, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, as Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, CSIR.