In a key bureaucratic reshuffle, Shashank Mani Tripathi (IAS:2015:AGMUT) has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (October 27, 2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Mr. Tripathi to the post with effect from the date of assumption of charge. He will serve till August 30, 2028 — the balance period of his four-year central deputation tenure — or on a co-terminus basis with the Minister, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Notably, Mr. Tripathi had moved from the Ministry of Cooperation to the Ministry of Home Affairs on May 4, 2025, on a lateral shift as Deputy Secretary. He had been serving in the Ministry of Cooperation since August 30, 2024, on a four-year deputation tenure.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has recommended 114 candidates from the Consolidated Reserve List of the Civil Services Examination (CSE), 2024 to fill the remaining vacancies across various Central Services. The detailed list of recommended candidates has been published on the Commission’s official website — upsc.gov.in.
According to the UPSC notification, the recommendation includes 94 candidates from the General category, five from EWS, 13 from OBC, and one each from SC and ST categories. These candidates will be appointed to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and other Central Services, Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) will issue appointment orders directly to the selected candidates.
The Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2024 had 1,129 vacancies, including 180 for IAS, 55 for IFS, 147 for IPS, 605 for Group ‘A’ Central Services, and 142 for Group ‘B’ posts. Earlier, on April 22, 2025, the UPSC declared the final results, recommending 1,009 candidates for appointment. With the inclusion of candidates from the reserve list, all remaining posts are expected to be filled, completing the 2024 examination cycle.
As per the Commission, the latest recommendations have been made in line with Rules 20(4) and 20(5) of the Civil Services Examination Rules, 2024, based on a request from the DoPT. The candidature of 15 candidates remains provisional, pending document verification.
Mumbai, October 29, 2025: REC Limited, and Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited (SMFCL), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the India Maritime Week 2025 in Mumbai.
The MoU was formally signed between Saraswathi, ED (Infrastructure and Logistics), REC Limited, and AC Nayak, Director (Finance), also joined by ST Selvam, Director (Projects), Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited during the exchange of the MoU.
The purpose of this MoU is to explore collaboration and joint financing opportunities in the India’s critical maritime and allied infrastructure sectors. This collaboration marks a significant step towards leveraging the financial strengths of both institutions to accelerate and boost rapid development in India’s port-led infrastructure and blue economy objectives.
Speaking on the occasion, representatives from both organizations expressed optimism about the collaboration, emphasizing its potential to contribute significantly to India’s blue economy and sustainable maritime development.
The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has selected Shankar Narayan for appointment as Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Central Electronics Limited (CEL). The selection was made during the PESB interview held on October 29, 2025.
Mr. Narayan is currently serving as General Manager at Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). His name has been forwarded to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) for final approval, subject to the requisite vigilance clearances.
A total of eleven candidates appeared before the PESB for the interview. They were:
Rajnish Goyal, Managing Director and CEO, on deputation to NBPPL as nominee of BHEL management, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
Shankar Narayan, General Manager, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
Ramnik Sarbahi, General Manager (Power Sector-Eastern Region), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
Ajay Saxena, General Manager & Project Director, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
Ashish Jain, Additional General Manager, Contract/Project Management & Commercial Coordination, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
Nagender Singh, Additional General Manager Head (FEX and CAPEX), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
Sanjeev Singhal, Principal General Manager Transmission, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
Dada Nand Katyayan, Senior General Manager (Business Area Head Faridabad), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
Kamlesh Kukreti, Senior General Manager, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
Amit Mehrotra, Group General Manager (A), Centre For Railway Information Systems
Rajeev Mishra, Chief Project Manager, Principal Chief Project Manager (Rolling Stock), Ministry of Railways
The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has selected Shivakumar Subramaniam for appointment as the Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) Limited. The selection was made during the PESB interview held on October 28, 2025.
Mr. Subramaniam is currently serving as Executive Director (Finance) in RCFLimited. His name has been forwarded to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) for final approval, subject to the necessary vigilance clearances.
A total of four candidates appeared before the PESB for the selection interview. They included:
Shivakumar Subramaniam, Executive Director (Finance), Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited
Anupam Mishra, Director (Marketing), The Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT)
Sanjay Banga, Chairman & Managing Director, Cement Corporation of India Limited
Krishna Mohan Srivastava, Senior General Manager, Business Area Head, Sitapur, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
The central deputation tenure of Dr. Himanshu Roy (IRS-IT:2011), serving as Director in the Department of Pharmaceuticals, has been extended for a period of three months.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (October 28, 2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal of the Department of Pharmaceuticals to extend Dr. Roy’s tenure beyond October 15, 2025, up to January 15, 2026, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Dr. Roy commenced his central deputation on September 5, 2023, as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Pharmaceuticals. Later, he was re-designated as Director in the same department. His tenure was initially set to expire on October 15, 2025.
In a key administrative development, Rajesh Lakhani (IAS:1992:TN), presently serving as Commissioner, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) under the Department of School Education and Literacy, has been assigned additional charge of Director General, National Testing Agency (NTA), under the Ministry of Education, for a period of one year.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (October 28, 2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the proposal to assign the additional charge to Mr. Lakhani for one yearfrom the date of assumption of charge, or until a regular incumbent is appointed, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Mr. Lakhani succeeds Pradeep Singh Kharola (Retd. IAS:1985:KN), who had been holding the post since June 2024, following the removal of Subodh Kumar Singh(IAS:1997:CG) amid controversy over competitive examinations. Kharola was entrusted with the charge while serving as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO). His extended tenure in the role expired on October 19, 2025.
In a significant bureaucratic development, senior IAS officer Rajesh Aggarwal (IAS:1989:MH), presently serving as Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, has been prematurely repatriated to his parent cadre, Maharashtra. The Centre on Tuesday (October 28, 2025) approved his repatriation following a request from the Maharashtra government.
This move has sparked strong speculation within the state bureaucracy, as the extended tenure of Chief Secretary Rajesh Kumar (IAS:1988:MH) is due to end on November 30, 2025. Sources suggest that Aggarwal’s return may not be coincidental, with many viewing him as a likely contender for the top bureaucratic post in the state.
Aggarwal is the senior-most IAS officer in the Maharashtra cadre, and is scheduled to retire on November 30, 2026.
He has been serving as Secretary in his current department since September 2022, marking nearly a decade-long central deputation that began in January 2015. Over the years, he has held several key positions at the Centre — including Joint Secretary (Financial Services), Joint Secretary (Tribal Affairs), Joint Secretary (Skill Development & Entrepreneurship), and later as Additional Secretary & Director General in the same ministry.
In December 2019, he was appointed Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, before returning in September 2021 as Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. A year later, he was shifted to his current post in the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.
In his home cadre, Aggarwal began his career as Assistant Collector, Thane, and later served as District Collector, Akola, holding several crucial assignments in the Departments of Rural Development, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, and Fisheries.
The central deputation tenure of Smita Srivastava (IRSEE:1997) as Joint Secretary in the Department of Higher Education has been extended for one year.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Wednesday (October 29, 2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal of the Department of Higher Education to extend Ms. Srivastava’s deputation tenure for one year beyond July 29, 2025, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Ms. Srivastava has been serving in the Department of Higher Education since July 29, 2018, initially as Director for a five-year tenure. Her term was first extended by two years on June 14, 2023, up to July 29, 2025, and has now been extended for another year.
Notably, she was empanelled for Joint Secretary-level posts in the Government of India in April 2025, and subsequently elevated as Joint Secretary in the same department on May 29, 2025.
Senior IAS officer Manoj Kumar Das (IAS:1990:GJ) has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Gujarat. He will assume charge on October 31, succeeding Pankaj Joshi (IAS:1989:GJ), who retires on the same day. Mr. Das is scheduled to retire on December 20, 2026.
Mr. Das is presently serving as Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Government of Gujarat.
An IAS officer of the 1990 batch, Das brings over three decades of administrative experience, having held key positions that significantly shaped Gujarat’s urban governance, industrial growth, and policy execution.
He began his career as District Development Officer, Vadodara, and later served as Municipal Commissioner of Surat and Vadodara, where he was instrumental in advancing urban infrastructure projects and e-governance initiatives.
In his tenure as Joint Managing Director, Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) and later as Additional Chief Secretary, Industries and Mines Department, Das played a pivotal role in implementing the Industrial Policy 2020 and steering the globally acclaimed Vibrant Gujarat Summit.
He has also served on central deputation with the Ministry of Home Affairs, further broadening his administrative and policy experience.
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