ACC approves major reshuffle: 14 officers appointed as Secretaries

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Friday (August 21, 2025) cleared a major reshuffle at the Secretary level, appointing 13 senior IAS officers and one IPoS officer to key positions across various ministries and departments.

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

1. Alka Upadhyaya (IAS:1990:MP), Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, has been appointed as Secretary, National Commission for Minorities.
2. Rajit Punhani (IAS:1991:BH), Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, has been posted as Chief Executive Officer, Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
3. Debashree Mukherjee (IAS:1991:AGMUT), Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.
4. Vijay Kumar (IAS:1992:AGMUT), Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India, will take charge as Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. He will succeed TK Ramachandran (IAS: 1991:TN) upon his retirement on September 30, 2025.
5. VL Kantha Rao (IAS:1992:MP), Secretary, Ministry of Mines, has been posted as Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation.
6. Sukriti Likhi (IAS:1993:HY), Chairperson, National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence. She will take over as Secretary after Niten Chandra (IAS:1990:OR) retires on October 31, 2025.
7. Ranjana Chopra (IAS:1994:OR), Special Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Culture, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, and will assume charge as Secretary after Vibhu Nayar (IAS:1990:TN) retires on October 31, 2025.
8. Naresh Pal Gangwar (IAS:1994:RJ), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, has been posted as Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
9. Niraj Verma (IAS:1994:AM), Administrator, Universal Service Obligation Fund, Department of Telecommunications, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty, Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice. He will take over as Secretary after Raj Kumar Goyal (IAS:1990:AGMUT) retires on August 31, 2025.
10. Atish Chandra (IAS:1994:BH), Additional Secretary, PMO, has been elevated as Special Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office, with the rank and pay of Secretary.
11. Piyush Goyal (IAS:1994:NL), CEO, NATGRID, MHA, has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Mines.
12. Sanjay Garg (IAS:1994:KL), Additional Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research & Education and and Secretary, Indian Council of Agriculture Research, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty, Bureau of Indian Standards, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, in the rank and pay of Secretary. He will take over as Director General of Bureau of Indian Standards from Pramod Kumar Tiwari (IAS:1991:AM) on October 31, 2025.
13. Roli Singh (IAS:1994:RJ), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, has been appointed as Chairperson, National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention, in the rank and pay of Secretary, succeeding Sukriti Likhi (IAS:1993:HY).
14. Trishaljit Sethi (IPoS:1990), Director General (Training), Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, has been elevated as Secretary, Central Vigilance Commission, by upgrading the post to Secretary level.