The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Tuesday (December 23, 2025) approved a one-year extension in the central deputation tenure of two officers serving in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The deputation tenure of Reshma Reghunathan Nair (IRS-IT:2011), serving as Director in the PMO, has been extended for one year beyond January 19, 2026, that is up to January 19, 2027. She has been serving in the PMO since November 2023. Her overall central deputation tenure, which began on January 19, 2022, was originally scheduled to end on January 19, 2026.
Similarly, the ACC approved a one-year extension in the deputation tenure of Dr Vipin Kumar (IFS:2013), serving as Deputy Secretary in the PMO. His tenure has been extended beyond January 4, 2026, up to January 4, 2027. He has been posted in the PMO since January 4, 2023, and his three-year deputation tenure was due to conclude on January 4, 2026.
The Gujarat government has made significant changes in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) as part of the bureaucratic reshuffle announced on Tuesday. The most notable change is appointment of senior IAS officer Sanjeev Kumar(IAS:1998:GJ), Principal Secretary, Forests & Environment Department, as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister. With this posting, he becomes the senior-most officer in the CMO. At present, no officer of Additional Chief Secretary rank is posted in the Chief Minister’s Office.
Another key posting is that of Ajay Kumar(IAS:2006:GJ), who has been appointed as Secretary to the Chief Minister. He was prematurely repatriated from central deputation on November 28, 2025, where he was serving as Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce. His return to the state now appears to be linked to this CMO posting.
Within the office, Dr. Vikrant Pandey(IAS:2005:GJ) has been re-designated as Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister. He had been working as Secretary to the Chief Minister since joining the CMO in May 2025. Before that, he served as Gujarat’s Resident Commissioner in New Delhi.
At the same time, Avantika Singh Aulakh(IAS:2003:GJ) has been moved out of the CMO. She has been posted to the Energy and Petrochemicals Department and will take over as Managing Director of Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (GSPC), Gandhinagar. She had been serving in the Chief Minister’s Office since September 2021.
The Gujarat government on Tuesday (December 23, 2025) carried out a major bureaucratic reshuffle, reassigning 26 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers in an effort to reorganise the state administration. The reshuffle has resulted in significant changes in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), with Sanjeev Kumar being appointed as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister.
The names of the officers and their posting are as follows;
Sanjeev Kumar (IAS:1998:GJ), Principal Secretary, Forests & Environment Department, has been transferred and posted as Principal Secretary, Chief Minister. He will also hold additional charge of Principal Secretary, Home Department.
The designation of Dr. Vikrant Pandey (IAS:2005:GJ) is changed from Secretary to Chief Minister to Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister. He will also hold additional charge of Secretary, Information & Broadcasting Department.
Ajay Kumar (IAS:2006:GJ) has been appointed as Secretary to the Chief Minister. He will also hold additional charge as Vice Chairman & CEO, Gujarat Maritime Board, Gandhinagar. He was recently repatriated to parent cadre and awaiting posting orders.
Ramesh Chand Meena (IAS:1997:GJ), Principal Secretary, Ports and Transport Department, is transferred and appointed as Principal Secretary, Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department.
Arunkumar M Solanki (IAS:1990:GJ), Managing Director, Gujarat State Warehousing Corporation, Gandhinagar, is transferred and appointed as Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture, Farmers Welfare & Co-operation Department (Co-operation, Animal Husbandry, Cow Breeding & Fisheries). He will continue to hold additional charge as Managing Director, Gujarat State Warehousing Corporation.
Mukesh Kumar (IAS:1996:GJ), Principal Secretary, Education Department (Primary & Secondary Education), is transferred and appointed as Principal Secretary, Education Department (Higher & Technical Education).
Milind Shivaram Torawane (IAS:2000:GJ), Principal Secretary, Panchayats, Rural Housing & Rural Development Department, has been transferred and posted as Principal Secretary, Education Department (Primary & Secondary Education).
Ashwani Kumar (IAS:1997:GJ), Principal Secretary, Sports, Youth & Cultural Activities Department, is transferred and appointed as Principal Secretary, Energy & Petrochemicals Department.
Avantika Singh Aulakh (IAS:2003:GJ), Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, is transferred and her services are placed at the disposal of the Energy & Petrochemicals Department for appointment as Managing Director, Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (GSPC), Gandhinagar. She will also hold additional charge as Managing Director, GSPC LNG Ltd. and Gujarat Gas Ltd.
Sandeep Kumar (IAS:2002:GJ), Secretary, Agriculture, Farmers Welfare & Co-operation Department (Co-operation, Animal Husbandry, Cow Breeding & Fisheries), has been transferred and appointed as Secretary, Finance Department (Economic Affairs).
Jenu Devan (IAS:2006:GJ), Superintendent of Stamps & Inspector General of Registration, Gandhinagar, is transferred and appointed as Secretary, Finance Department (Expenditure). He will continue to hold additional charge as Managing Director, Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd, Vadodara.
Rajesh Manjhu (IAS:2004:GJ), Revenue Inspection Commissioner & Ex-officio Secretary, Revenue Department, is given additional charge of Superintendent of Stamps & Inspector General of Registration, Gandhinagar.
Arti Kanwar (IAS:2001:GJ), Secretary, Finance Department (Economic Affairs), is transferred and appointed as Chief Commissioner of State Tax, Ahmedabad.
Dr. Vinod Ramachandra Rao (IAS:2000:GJ), Principal Secretary, Labour, Skill Development and Employment Department, is transferred and appointed as Principal Secretary, Forests & Environment Department.
Dr. Anju Sharma (IAS:1991:GJ), Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture, Farmers Welfare & Co-operation Department, is transferred and appointed as Additional Chief Secretary, General Administration Department (Personnel).
Hareet Shukla (IAS:1999:GJ), Chief Electoral Officer, Gujarat, will also hold additional charge of Principal Secretary, Ports & Transport Department.
Rajeev Topno (IAS:1996:GJ), Chief Commissioner of State Tax, Ahmedabad, is transferred and appointed as Principal Secretary, Health & Family Welfare Department.
Dr. Sandhya Bhullar (IAS:2003:GJ) has been appointed as Commissioner of Health (Urban). She was recently repatriated from the central deputation and awaiting posting orders.
Dr. Rajender Kumar (IAS:2004:GJ), Secretary, Industries and Mines Department (Tourism, Devsthanam Management, Civil Aviation & Pilgrimage), has been transferred and posted as Commissioner of Transport.
Dr. Kuldeep Arya (IAS:2009:GJ), CEO, Special Project (Dholera SIR & Mandal-Becharaji SIR), has been transferred and posted as as Secretary, Industries and Mines Department (Tourism, Devsthanam Management, Civil Aviation & Pilgrimage). He will continue to hold additional charge as CEO, Special Project (Dholera SIR & Mandal-Becharaji SIR).
Lochan Sehra (IAS:2002:GJ) has been appointed as Secretary, Labour, Skill Development and Employment Department. He was recently repatriated to parent cadre and awaiting posting orders.
Rajkumar Beniwal (IAS:2004:GJ), Vice Chairman & CEO, Gujarat Maritime Board, Gandhinagar, has been transferred and his services are placed at the disposal of the Energy & Petrochemicals Department for appointment as Managing Director, Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd., Bharuch.
Dhananjay Dwivedi (IAS:1998:GJ), Principal Secretary, Health & Family Welfare Department, is transferred and appointed as Principal Secretary, Panchayats, Rural Housing & Rural Development Department. He will also hold additional charge as Commissioner of Rural Development & Principal Secretary (Rural Development).
Harshadkumar Ratilal Patel (IAS:2005:GJ), Commissioner of Health (Urban), Gandhinagar, has been transferred and appointed as Secretary, Social Justice & Empowerment Department.
Dr. Rahul Babulal Gupta (IAS:2004:GJ), Secretary, Climate Change Department, is transferred and appointed as Secretary, Sports, Youth & Cultural Activities Department. He will also hold additional charge of Secretary, Climate Change Department.
Mohammad Shahid (IAS:1998:GJ), Principal Secretary, Social Justice & Empowerment Department, is transferred and appointed as Principal Secretary, Tribal Development Department.
The Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) has recommended Brajesh Kumar Singh for appointment as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Canara Bank.
Singh, who is currently serving as Executive Director at Indian Bank, was selected after a selection process in which 17 candidates were interviewed by the bureau on December 22, 2025. The candidates were assessed on the basis of their performance, experience and overall suitability for the post.
The vacancy will arise as the incumbent MD and CEO of Canara Bank, K Satyanarayana Raju, is due to retire on December 31, 2025. He has been serving in the position since February 2023. The FSIB had invited applications for the post on October 24, 2025.
The bureau’s recommendation will now be sent to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for final approval. Upon clearance by the ACC, Singh will be formally appointed to the post.
The central deputation tenure of Th. Chitra Devi (IAS:2009:MN), serving as Director of Census Operations (DCO) and Director of Citizen Registration (DCR), Manipur, has been extended beyond December 31, 2025.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Monday, December 22, 2025, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the extension of her deputation tenure up to September 5, 2028, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Chitra Devi has been serving as DCO/DCR, Manipur since September 5, 2022.
The Uttar Pradesh government is reported to be flirting with the idea of creating the post of Special Director General (Special DG) once again in the state with the purpose of accommodating senior IPS officers waiting for promotion to the rank of Director General (DG).
There are at least 11 IPS officers in the state who are eligible for promotion to the DG rank but it has not been possible due to the limited number of sanctioned posts. To make matters worse, seven more officers will be eligible for promotion to the DG rank on January 1, 2026 swelling the number of eligible officers to 18.
It has caused a precarious situation with questions being asked about cadre management. It is against this background that the government is reported to be considering the creation of Special DG posts in the state.
At present, the state has seven cadre posts and an equal number of ex-cadre posts for DG rank, making it possible for only 14 officers to hold the DG rank at any given time, and hence there is no vacancy as such currently.
Similarly, there are 21 cadre posts for the Additional Director General (ADG) rank, of which up to 25 percent can be ex-cadre posts. As a result, the total number of ADG-level officers can range between 25 and 26. There are currently 33 officers in the ADG rank, which exceeds the sanctioned strength.
So, if the Special DG post is created again, all 18 officers would benefit.
The post of Special DG was first created during the Mayawati government in 2011. It was done to accommodate Brijlal, a 1977-batch IPS officer, who was serving as ADG (Law and Order) because there were no vacant DG posts available. To facilitate his promotion and that of other officers from his batch, the government created the post of Special DG. The rank was revived again on March 30, 2023. At that time, several officers of the 1990 batch, including Prashant Kumar, were promoted to the rank of Special DG.
Speculation around the revival of the Special DG post has intensified because the 1996 batch officers will become eligible for promotion on January 1, and among them is current ADG (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash (IPS:1996:UP), considered one of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s most trusted officers.
Sajeesh Kumar N (IRTS:2002), Coal Controller in the Coal Controller Organisation under the Ministry of Coal, has been given a six-month extension to hold the additional charge of Commissioner (Joint Secretary level) in the Coal Mines Provident Fund Organisation (CMPFO).
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Monday (December 22, 2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the proposal of the Ministry of Coal to entrust the additional charge to Sajeesh Kumar N for a further period of six months with effect from November 1, 2025, or until a regular incumbent is appointed or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Sajeesh Kumar N was first given charge of the CMPFO post on May 1, 2025, for six months. Since no regular appointment has been made yet, the government has extended the arrangement.
With an aim to empower citizens to report illegal activities without fear of identity disclosure, Varanasi Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Vaibhav Krishna (IPS:2010:UP), has developed a unique digital reporting system called the Police Satark Mitra. It is a WhatsApp-based system for citizens to report criminal activities in all three districts of the Varanasi Range—Jaunpur, Ghazipur, and Chandauli.
It is virtually a digital interface that allows citizens to remain anonymous while sharing information about organized crime and social offences, including cow smuggling and slaughter, liquor and drug trafficking, illegal arms trade, gambling, prostitution, human and child trafficking, illegal spas, forced religious conversions, illegal mining, overloading of vehicles, extortion, and even police corruption.
The main objective behind this initiative is to remove the element of fear of identity disclosure that often prevents citizens from sharing crucial information. Neither the mobile number nor any personal details of the informant will be visible to police officers at any stage.
It is simple to operate. All a citizen needs to do is to send a WhatsApp message—even a single word such as “Hi”—to 7839860411 or scan the QR code, after which the bot automatically guides the user through language selection and category-based prompts to collect detailed inputs.
The system accepts text, audio messages, photographs, and videos, making it particularly useful for sharing CCTV footage or visuals related to serious crimes such as murder, robbery, or chain snatching. All information received through the bot is routed directly to the offices of the respective district Superintendents of Police (SP) and the DIG, Varanasi Range.
The central deputation tenure of Gitanjali Gupta (IAS:1996:AGMUT), serving as Additional Secretary in the NITI Aayog, has been extended by two years.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Monday, December 22, 2025, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the proposal to extend her deputation tenure for two years beyond February 3, 2026, that is, up to February 3, 2028, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Gupta has been serving as Additional Secretary in the NITI Aayog since November 2023. Prior to this assignment, she was Managing Director of the Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.
Earlier, she also served as Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. under the Ministry of Railways.
Senior IAS officer N Saravana Kumar (IAS:2000:BH), currently serving as Vice Chairman of Delhi Development Authority, has been given additional charge as Member Secretary of the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Monday (December 23, 2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved assignment of additional charge of the post to Kumar till appointment of a regular incumbent or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
The post of Member Secretary, NCRPB, became vacant after senior IAS officer Archana Agrawal (IAS:1990:UP) repatriated to her parent cadre Uttar Pradesh on October 16, 2025. She had been holding the post since April 2019.
Since the position remained vacant after her repatriation, the Centre has made this temporary arrangement by assigning the charge to Kumar.
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