The news of senior Uttar Pradesh IAS officer Amod Kumar (IAS:1995:UP) taking VRS, six years before retirement, has caused a stir in the state bureaucracy. Speculations and discussions are doing rounds in the corridors of power, though; Kumar has cited personal reasons for his VRS decision.He was due to retire in 2031.
What has fuelled speculation is the fact that Kumar had recently returned from central deputation. In fact, his return from central deputation to his home cadre had been cleared by the state government. Kumar had requested to return to Uttar Pradesh due to family reasons, but now, this news is surfacing to fox many.
His VRS has been approved by the state government. A 1995 batch IAS officer, Kumar has extensive bureaucratic experience while serving in both the central and state governments. He made the headlines after former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav picked himas the secretary during his Samajwadi Party regime in government.
Former Kerala Chief Secretary K. Jayakumar took charge as the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president in the presence of Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan on Saturday. It marks a complete departure from the past when political appointees used to occupy the TDB’s leadership roles.
A special function was organised for this purpose at the TDB headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. Former Forest Minister and veteran CPI leader K. Raju was also sworn in as a board member.
The board is constituted for two years.
Jayakumar’s appointment occupies special significance, as it has come at a time when the government is facing widespread criticism in the wake of the alleged gold theft at the Sabarimala temple.
Jayakumar’s extensive experience in Sabarimala administration is expected to help restore public confidence. His experience includes his service as Devaswom Secretary, Chief Devaswom Commissioner, and Chairman of the High Court-appointed high-powered committee on Sabarimala.
Speaking on the occasion, the TDB president said that the new governing committee would try to live up to the expectations of devotees, describing his appointment as the call of the time.
In an extraordinary turn of events, Sujit Kumar (IRS-IT:2001) has achieved a rare career transformation—from senior bureaucrat to Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Bihar—in just 51 days, a development that has gripped both the bureaucratic fraternity and the political class. His swift rise is widely viewed as a sign of strong backing from the highest levels of political leadership in Delhi, without which such rapid movement of empanelment approvals, VRS processing, and political coordination would have been nearly impossible. Kumar, who served as Principal Commissioner (OSD), Appeal Unit-II, Delhi until September 25, 2025, is now the BJP MLA from the Gaura Bauram assembly seat in Darbhanga district, having defeated the RJD candidate.
The speed and sequence of developments have sparked intense curiosity about him in the corridors of power. On September 23, Legendofficers.com had exclusively reported a landmark empanelment in which 20 IRS-IT officers of the 2001 batch were promoted to Level 15 of the Pay Matrix (₹1,82,200–₹2,24,100)—a grade that even many 2001-batch IAS officers are yet to attain. This unprecedented and exceptionally fast empanelment was pushed through because Sujit Kumar was preparing to seek voluntary retirement to enter electoral politics. To ensure his case moved without delay, intervention at the highest political levels was required to clear the promotion file across multiple offices. As a result, CBDT issued the empanelment list on September 13, which included 45 IRS-IT officers—20 of them from the 2001 batch, including Sujit Kumar—and by September 23 they were issued postings corresponding to their upgraded grade.
The real sprint began soon after. On September 25, 2025, Sujit Kumar applied for voluntary retirement (VRS), and in an extraordinary departure from the standard three-month notice rule, the President of India approved his request within just 15 days, on October 10. He joined the BJP on October 13, and within 24 hours—on October 14—he was declared the party’s candidate from the Gaura Bauram assembly seat. He filed his nomination the very next day, voting took place on November 6 in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections, and on November 14, he was declared the winner.
With this, Sujit Kumar’s journey from bureaucrat to MLA is complete—unfolding so quickly that it has set off whispers in both Delhi and Bihar about the kind of support he enjoys and how smoothly everything worked out for him. And going by the talk in political circles, he may now even be in line for a ministerial post in the new Bihar government.
Bureaucrat Siddharth Mahajan (IAS:2003:RJ), currently on central deputation, is going to be repatriated to the Rajasthan cadre later this month. This could be made possible after the state government’s intervention and reminder to the Union Ministry of Personnel and Training for his early repatriation to his home cadre. But the state government could not get another IAS officer, Rohit Kumar’s (IAS:1997:RJ) repatriation, as the Centre declined to release Kumar.
Mahajan, known for his administrative acumen in Rajasthan bureaucracy, earlier served as secretary to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. He is currently posted as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Sources indicate that there is a strong possibility of Mahajan being posted in the CMO as Secretary. Notably, the post of Principal Secretary in the CMO has been lying vacant since June 2025, when Alok Gupta (IAS:1996:RJ) was shifted from the CMO to the Industries Department as Principal Secretary.
After the repatriation of V Srinivas (IAS:1989:RJ), Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances and Department of Pensions & Pensioners’ Welfare, to his parent cadre Rajasthan, the Central Government has assigned additional charge of the post to Rachna Shah (IAS:1991:KL), currently serving as Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT).
According to an order issued by the DoPT on Friday (November 14, 2025), the competent authority has approved her assignment to the post till the appointment of a regular incumbent.
Sudhansh Pant (IAS:1991:RJ) has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Cabinet Secretariat in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Friday (November 14, 2025), the competent authority approved his appointment to the post of OSD until he formally assumes charge as Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, succeeding Amit Yadav (IAS:1991:AGMUT) upon his superannuation on November 30, 2025.
Earlier, on November 10, the Central Government had recalled Sudhansh Pant from Rajasthan for central deputation, where he was serving as Chief Secretary, and appointed him as Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, with effect from December 1, 2025.
With Rajasthan Chief Secretary Sudhansh Pant (IAS:1991:RJ) moving to the Central Government as Secretary, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, the suspense over his successor has all but ended. Sources have confirmed that V Srinivas (IAS:1989:RJ) is set to take over as the next Chief Secretary of Rajasthan, with only the formal announcement awaited.
In a decisive development, the Central Government on Friday (November 14, 2025) approved the repatriation of Srinivas to his parent cadre — a move initiated by the Rajasthan government specifically to enable his appointment as Chief Secretary.
According to the order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT): “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved repatriation of Shri V. Srinivas, IAS (RJ:89), Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances and Department of Pensions & Pensioners’ Welfare to his parent cadre on the request of Government of Rajasthan.”
Among serving bureaucrats in the Rajasthan cadre, several senior IAS officers were initially seen as strong contenders for the top post. The names doing the rounds included Abhay Kumar (IAS:1992:RJ), ACS, Water Resources; Shikhar Agarwal (IAS:1993:RJ), ACS to the Chief Minister; and Akhil Arora (IAS:1993:RJ), ACS, PHED.
Parallelly, the pool of officers on central deputation also featured prominently in the early discussions. Among them were V. Srinivas (IAS:1989:RJ), Secretary, DARPG & Pensions; Rajat Kumar Mishra (IAS:1992:RJ), Secretary, Department of Fertilizers; and Tanmay Kumar (IAS:1993:RJ), Secretary, MoEF&CC. Their seniority and extensive experience at the Centre kept them firmly in the reckoning as potential choices for the state’s top bureaucratic role.
However, with Friday’s repatriation order, the race has now decisively tilted in favour of Srinivas. The Rajasthan government is expected to issue the official appointment order soon, formally naming him as the next Chief Secretary.
New Delhi, November 14, 2025: REC Limited, a Maharatna Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Power and a leading NBFC, has successfully mediated a crucial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL) and the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI).
The MoU was signed by MePDCL and CPRI in presence of Dr Shakeel P. Ahammed, Meghalaya Chief Secretary; Jitendra Srivastava, CMD, REC; Dr J Sreedevi, DG, CPRI; Prince Dhawan, ED, REC; Subhendu Roy, CPM Guwahati, REC and other senior officials from MePDCL, CPRI and REC.
This strategic partnership is a significant step towards bolstering the quality assurance mechanism for power distribution infrastructure in Meghalaya and entire North-East India, particularly under the flagship Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).
Key Highlights of the Collaboration:
NABL Accreditation Goal: The primary objective of the MoU is to establish a NABL-accredited testing facility within Meghalaya, addressing the critical logistical challenges and delays faced by North Eastern States in sending materials for quality testing to distant laboratories.
CPRI’s Technical Leadership: CPRI, a premier research and development organization in the power sector, will provide comprehensive consultancy and technical support. This includes preparing detailed specifications for procurement, guiding documentation, and offering supervisory support to ensure MePDCL’s facility is fully equipped and prepared for NABL inspection.
REC Limited’s Mediation and Support: As the Nodal Agency for the RDSS, REC Limited played a pivotal role in mediating this agreement, reinforcing its commitment to strict quality control and timely execution of scheme projects. The local availability of a NABL-accredited lab is expected to significantly expedite the Field Material Quality Testing and Inspection (FMQI) process, which has previously been delayed due to the necessity of transporting heavy equipment like Distribution Transformers (DTRs) across long distances.
Boosting Local Capacity: MePDCL will provide the necessary testing equipment (including specialized instruments like HV test benches and frequency meters), calibration of existing assets, and preparing the facility. This initiative will not only improve material quality but also strengthen local technical expertise through training and hand-holding by CPRI officials.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary Meghalaya said, “This initiative will bolster the pace of works under RDSS and will also help MePDCL build in-house testing capacity. He appreciated the efforts of MePDCL to ensure quality certification of power infrastructure being built under RDSS”
CMD, REC Limited said, “This MoU marks a milestone in overcoming the geographic hurdles that often impede rapid quality assessment in the North Eastern Region. By facilitating the establishment of a local, NABL-accredited facility through this partnership, we are ensuring that RDSS projects in Meghalaya meet the highest standards of material quality and are executed efficiently, thereby benefiting the consumers directly.”
REC CMD also thanked the efforts of Sanjay Goyal, CMD, MeECL and Prince Dhawan, ED, REC for their efforts.
This agreement underscores the collective commitment of MePDCL, CPRI, and REC Limited to enhancing power system reliability and service delivery for the people of Meghalaya.
The Karnataka Cabinet finally gave its approval to the proposed amendments to the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act on Thursday. The amendments propose the inclusion of three senior IAS officers as members of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). The chief secretary and two additional chief secretaries of Urban Development and Finance departments will be inducted as its members.
The additional chief secretary of the Urban Development Department (UDD) will be the member of the high-powered executive committee headed by the Bengaluru development minister or a minister of the Chief Minister’s choice.
The GBA is meant to decide the issues related to the city and meets once in three months.
Further, in order to provide clarity on the issue related to the appointment of MPs, MLAs and MLCs, an amendment including a sub clause to the rulebook is also proposed.
The bill containing the amendments will be tabled in the next session of the assembly for its final approval.
In a fresh round of senior-level assignments, the central government has entrusted additional charges to two IAS officers of the 1993 batch.
Punya Salila Srivastava (IAS:1993:AGMUT), currently Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare, has been assigned additional charge of Secretary, Ministry of Ayush. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), in an order issued on Friday (November 14, 2025), approved the arrangement from November 15 to November 23, 2025, during the leave period of Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha.
Similarly, Nikunja Bihari Dhal (IAS:1993:AGMUT), serving as Secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, has been given additional charge of Secretary, Department of Justice. The DoPT order states that Mr. Dhal will hold the charge from November 17 to November 30, 2025, during the leave of Niraj Verma (IAS:1994:AM).
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