In a key development, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the extension of entrustment of additional charge of Financial Advisor & Chief Accounts Officer (FA&CAO) in the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to Tiakala Lynda Yaden (IP&TA&FS:1994).
According to the order issued by DoPT on October 1, 2025, Yaden, who is currently serving as Financial Commissioner (JS level) in ESIC under the Ministry of Labour & Employment, will continue to hold the charge of FA&CAO, EPFO for a further period of six months w.e.f. August 9, 2025 or until a regular incumbent is appointed, whichever is earlier.
Earlier, the ACC had given ex-post facto approval for her entrustment of this additional charge for a period of three months beginning May 9, 2025.
In a significant development, senior IAS officer Sanjay Gupta (IAS:1988:HP) has been given the additional charge of Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh. In the latest order issued on Wednesday (October 1, 2025), the state government posted him as Additional Chief Secretary, Town & Country Planning and Housing, while entrusting him with the additional charge of Chief Secretary.
This comes just a day after Gupta was shifted on September 30 to the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board as Chairman, with additional charge of CMD, Ropeways and Rapid Transport System Development Corporation Ltd. That transfer had been made to accommodate former Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena (IAS:1990:HP), who retired on the same day and was immediately appointed Chairman, Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) for a three-year term.
Following Gupta’s reassignment on October 1, his previous responsibilities were redistributed:
Onkar Chand Sharma (IAS:1994:HP), ACS Tribal Development, has been given the additional charge of CMD, Ropeways and Rapid Transport System Development Corporation Ltd.
Kamlesh Kumar Pant (IAS:1993:HP) will now function as ACS, Revenue-cum-Financial Commissioner, Revenue; ACS, Forest, Home & Vigilance; Financial Commissioner, Appeals; and Chairman, HP State Pollution Control Board.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday reappointed Rakesh Kumar Singh-II (IAS:2009:UP) as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) and Noida International Airport Limited for one year on a contract basis.
Singh retired from service on September 30, but the Industrial Development Department issued his reappointment order on the same day, enabling him to continue in both posts until September 30, 2026.
Earlier, on June 29, 2025, Singh was entrusted with charge as CEO of both YEIDA and the Noida International Airport project. Prior to that, he served as Secretary to the Chief Minister.
The Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday (September 30, 2025) appointed former Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena (IAS:1990:HP) as Chairman of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) for a three-year term. The appointment order was issued within hours of his retirement from the Chief Secretary post.
According to the notification, as Chairman of HPSEBL, Saxena will enjoy the rank, status, and responsibilities equivalent to that of Chief Secretary and will report directly to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
To accommodate the change, the government transferred the incumbent HPSEBL Chairman Sanjay Gupta (IAS:1988:HP) to the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board. Gupta too will function under the administrative control of the Chief Minister with the status and rank of Chief Secretary.
With Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena’s extended term concluded today evening (September 30, 2025), the Himachal Pradesh government is yet to announce his successor. Since no new Chief Secretary has been named so far, it is being assumed that the announcement may come on October 1.
According to highly placed sources,Kamlesh Kumar Pant (IAS:1993:HP) has emerged as the frontrunner for the top post. Legend Officers had earlier reported that both Pant andOmkar Chand Sharma (IAS:1993:HP) were leading contenders, even before Saxena’s six-month extension was granted. Developments over the past few months have further strengthened Pant’s prospects.
As per the gradation list, Sanjay Gupta (IAS:1988:HP) is the senior-most officer in the cadre. However, he has been overlooked twice earlier when his batchmate RD Dhiman(IAS:1988:HP) and later Prabodh Saxena(IAS:1990:HP) were appointed as Chief Secretary. Following the recent controversy in the State Electricity Board, sources indicate he is no longer in contention.
Meanwhile, Omkar Chand Sharma has been sidelined after his affidavit in the Vimal Negi death case triggered a political storm. He was sent on leave by the state government on May 28, 2025.
Given the current scenario, KK Pant appears to be the most likely choice for Himachal Pradesh’s next Chief Secretary.
The Chandigarh Administration on Tuesday (September 30, 2025) relieved Rajeev Verma from his post as Chief Secretary of UT Chandigarh to enable him to assume charge as Chief Secretary of Delhi on October 1, 2025.
Following his relief, Mandip Singh Brar (IAS:2005:HY) has been assigned the additional charge of Chief Secretary of Chandigarh. Brar, a 2005-batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre, is currently serving as Home Secretary of Chandigarh since September 12, 2024.
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Tuesday (September 30, 2025) directed the Kerala government to forward the vigilance status report of senior IPS officer Yogesh Gupta (IPS:1993:KL) to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs within five days.
The tribunal came down heavily on the state government, calling the five-month delay in submitting the report—despite repeated reminders from the Centre—“inordinate” and “unjustifiable.”
Gupta, currently serving as DGP, Fire and Rescue Service, Civil Defence and Home Guards, had approached the tribunal alleging that the delay in forwarding his vigilance report was preventing him from being considered for Director General-level posts in the Centre under the Central Deputation Reserve (CDR).
He pointed out that the State Police Chief had submitted all relevant details to the government as early as May 6, yet no action was taken. Even a grievance petition filed through the Chief Minister’s grievance portal yielded no response.
The Kerala government argued that Gupta was facing a confidential inquiry over decisions taken during his tenure as Director of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), and therefore the report could not be issued. However, the tribunal noted that the state had not disclosed even the basic details of the inquiry and that the explanation lacked merit.
Significantly, the bench observed that a vigilance report had already cleared Gupta of any pending inquiries when he was shortlisted for the post of State Police Chief.
“The vigilance status report is a factual document, and the pendency of an inquiry cannot be a valid ground to withhold it,” the tribunal said, directing the state to send the report to the Centre “expeditiously and in complete form” within five working days.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has finalised a panel of three IPS officers for appointment as Director General of Police (DGP)/Head of Police Force (HoPF) of Tamil Nadu.
The panel was drawn up following an Empanelment Committee Meeting held in Delhi on September 26, 2025. The list of shortlisted officers has been sent to the Tamil Nadu government, which is now expected to appoint a regular DGP soon. In line with Supreme Court directions, the officer appointed will have a fixed tenure of at least two years.
The state government had submitted a list of eight eligible DGP-rank officers in the last week of August. The process was expedited after the Supreme Court, while hearing a contempt petition, directed UPSC to complete the empanelment without delay.
The top three officers in order of seniority areSeema Agrawal, Rajeev Kumar, and Sandeep Rai Rathore. Other officers considered were K Vanniaperumal, Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, G. Venkatraman (currently in-charge DGP/HoPF), Vinit Dev Wankhede, and Sanjay Mathur.
The Jharkhand government on Tuesday (September 30, 2025) appointed senior IAS officer Avinash Kumar (IAS:1993:JH) as the new Chief Secretary of the state. He takes over from Alka Tiwari (IAS:1988:JH), who retired from service today.
In addition to his new role, Kumar will continue to hold the charges of Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister and Chief Resident Commissioner, Jharkhand Bhawan, New Delhi.
Before this elevation, he was serving as Additional Chief Secretary, Energy Department, with additional responsibilities as Development Commissioner, CMD of Jharkhand Energy Development Corporation Limited, and Chief Resident Commissioner, Jharkhand Bhawan.
The central deputation tenure of Ashish Gupta (IRSME:2014) as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Rural Development has been extended. An order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Monday (September 29, 2025) stated that the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the proposal of the Department of Rural Development to extend his tenure by two years beyond December 30, 2025, up to December 30, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
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