ACC effects bureaucratic reshuffle, Rajesh Kumar Singh is new DPIIT Secretary

In a major bureaucratic reshuffle on Thursday (20.04.2023), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet transferred a dozen Secretaries and Additional Secretaries, and approved in-situ promotions for two others.

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

1. Arun Singhal (IAS:1987:UP), Secretary, Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, has been appointed as Director General, National Archives of India, Ministry of Culture in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
2. Anurag Jain (IAS:1989:MP), Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. He will replace Ms. Alka Upadhyaya (IAS:1990:MP) upon her appointment as Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
3. Rajesh Kumar Singh (IAS:1989:KL), Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, has been appointed as Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry in place of Anurag Jam (IAS:1989:MP) upon his appointment as Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
4. Ms. Alka Upadhyaya (IAS:1990:MP), Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying. She will replace Rajesh Kumar Singh (IAS:1989:KL) upon his appointment as Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
5. Ms. Anjali Bhawra (IAS:1988:PB), Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, has been appointed as Secretary, National Commission for Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
6. Mukhmeet Singh Bhatia (IAS:1990:JH), Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs, has been appointed as Chairperson, National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
7. Saurabh Garg (IAS:1991:OR), Chief Executive Officer, Unique Identification Authority of India, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment. He will replace Ms. Anjali Bhawra (IAS:1988:PB) upon her appointment as Secretary, National Commission for Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs.
8. Abhilaksh Likhi (IAS:1991:HY), Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India. The officer will take over as Secretary, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying vice Jatindra Nath Swain (IAS:1988:TN) upon his superannuation on 30.06.2023.
9. Ms. V Vidyavathi (IAS:1991:KN), Director General, Archaeological Survey of India, Ministry of Culture, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Tourism in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India. The officer will take over as Secretary, Ministry of Tourism in place of Arvind Singh (IAS:1988:MH) upon his superannuation on 31.05.2023.
10. Rakesh Sarwal (IAS:1988:TR), Managing Director, National Waqf Development Corporation Ltd., Ministry of Minority Affairs, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs.
11. Rakesh Rarijan (IAS:1992:MN), Additional Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
12. Faiz Ahmed Kidwai (IAS:1996:MP), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

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

They are;

1. Rajinder Kumar Kashyap (IPoS:1989), Additional Secretary, Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice as Special Secretary, Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
2. A R Sule (IDAS:1993), Joint Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy as Additional Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy.