IAS Officer Himani Pande (IAS:1998:JH), currently serving in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), has been granted an extension in the temporary upgradation of her post from Joint Secretary level to Additional Secretary level.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Saturday (April 18, 2026), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension of her upgradation for a term up to April 18, 2027.
Pande is presently holding the upgraded post in DPIIT under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
IAS officer Ajit Roy (IAS:2013:AGMUT), who was recommended for central deputation by the Ministry of Home Affairs, has been appointed as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs for four years. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Thursday (April 16, 2026), the Competent authority has approved his appointment to the post under the Central Staffing Scheme for a period of four years from the date of taking over charge of the post or until further orders, whichever event takes place earlier.
Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer Ankit Kumar Agrawal (IAS:2012:UP) has been appointed as Director in the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), Delhi, for five years. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Thursday (April 16, 2026), the Competent authority has approved his appointment to the post under the Central Staffing Scheme for a period of five years from the date of taking over charge of the post or until further orders, whichever event takes place earlier.
Haryana cadre IAS officer Prashant Panwar (IAS:2015:HY) has been appointed as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Coal, Delhi. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on April 15, 2026, his appointment has been made under the central staffing scheme for a period of four years from the date of taking over charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
IAS officer S Vineeth (IAS:2013:TN) has been appointed as Private Secretary to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for a tenure of five years. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Wednesday (April 15, 2026), the competent authority has approved his appointment at the Deputy Secretary level for a period of five-year with effect from the date of assumption of the charge of the post or on coterminous basis with the Minister or till he ceases to function as Private Secretary to the Minister or until further orders, whichever occurs the earliest.
He is currently posted in the cadre state Tamil Nadu as Director of Project Urban Health Care.
Haryana Chief Principal Secretary Rajesh Khullar (Retd.IAS:1988:HY) will continue to occupy the central role in the state’s bureaucracy, as the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has issued a fresh allocation of work among officers attached with it.
Khullar has been entrusted with the charge of 18 key departments, including Home, Finance, Excise & Taxation, Vigilance, Health, Energy and Agriculture, among others. In addition, he will oversee overall functioning of the CMO, handle all legislative matters and also look after subjects not allocated to any other officer, further consolidating his central role in decision-making.
Meanwhile, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Arun Kumar Gupta (IAS:1992:HY) has been given charge of 10 departments, including Civil Aviation, Environment & Forest, Food & Civil Supplies, Public Works (B&R), Rural Development, Transport and Urban Local Bodies. He will also be responsible for implementation of Chief Minister’s announcements.
Deputy Principal Secretary (DPSCM-I) Yash Pal (IAS:2011:HY) has been assigned nine departments, including Development & Panchayats, Public Health Engineering, School Education, Sports, Architecture and Archives, among others.
Another Deputy Principal Secretary (DPSCM-II), Ajay Kumar(IAS:2013:HY), has been given charge of seven departments such as Cooperation, Elections, Fisheries, Women & Child Development and Foreign Cooperation. In addition, he will monitor budget announcements, flagship projects and oversee the Kurukshetra Development Board.
Raj Nehru (IAS), serving as Officer on Special Duty to CM (OSDCM), has been entrusted with Culture, Higher Education, Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship.
Among HCS officers, Vivek Kalia has been assigned CM Window and Jan Samvad, while Sudhanshu Gautam will look after CM Relief Fund, allotment of government houses (except Type-V), HRDF, IRMS and online transfer policy, along with related institutional work.
Rakesh Sandhu has been given responsibility for CM Window and grievances, while Narendra Pal Malik will handle ACM-related work and administrative matters in the CMO.
In an intriguing development, the Allahabad High Court issued a personal notice to former Uttar Pradesh DGP Prashant Kumar (IPS:1990:UP) on Friday while hearing a criminal writ petition. The court has sought Kumar’s explanation for using objectionable language in his official letter.
The High Court ordered the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Lucknow, to serve the notice within 48 hours through the DGP. The DGP will then send the notice to the former DGP at his current residence. The court also directed the Registrar (Compliance) to communicate the order to the CJM, Lucknow, within 48 hours.
This order was passed by a division bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Tarun Saxena while hearing a criminal petition filed by a lawyer named Amit Kumar Singh alias Sonu.
Prashant Kumar, who was earlier posted as ADG (Law and Order), has been directed to file a personal affidavit in response to the notice, providing an explanation regarding his official letter, which contained objectionable language.
The High Court deemed the language used in paragraph one of that letter “objectionable” and directed the former ADG to file a show-cause affidavit through his current residence address, explaining the objectionable language.
It should be pointed out here that Kumar was appointed as the Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission (UPESSC) in December 2025.
The Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Shri CP Radhakrishnan, has appointed Dr K S Somashekhar as Secretary in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat with effect from April 18, 2026.
Dr Somashekhar, a 1993 entrant to the Secretariat, brings over three decades of experience in parliamentary functioning. Prior to this appointment, he was serving as Additional Secretary in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat. He has also held key positions including Joint Secretary and Director, with significant experience in parliamentary interpretation, administration and committee work.
A native of Kolar in Karnataka, he began his career as a Parliamentary interpreter in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat and rose through the ranks over the years. He has also served in senior capacities in the Government of Karnataka and represented India at various international parliamentary forums.
Dr Somashekhar has undergone specialised training in parliamentary practices in the United Kingdom and the European Union, and has participated in Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meetings in Geneva.
Academically, he holds a Ph.D. in Literature and is proficient in multiple languages including Kannada, Hindi, English, Telugu and Tamil. His appointment as Secretary marks a significant milestone in his long career in parliamentary service.
The Union Government is expanding capacity building for scientists and academics in its efforts to prepare institutions for evolving governance demands. This was disclosed by Union Minister of Personnel and Training Jitendra Singh on Friday while addressing the valedictory ceremony of Sadhana Saptah 2026 in Delhi.
The Sadhana (Strengthening Adaptive Development and Humane Aptitude for National Advancement) Saptah is virtually an initiative that aims to equip institutions for future governance needs. It has been termed one of the largest collaborative capacity-building efforts across India’s civil services ecosystem.
Singh described artificial intelligence and digital tools as key enablers of future-ready governance. He also added that government employees are increasingly adopting emerging competencies to keep pace with change.
But Singh cautioned that technology must be used only to complement human judgment, as integrity remains central to public service.
The minister also pointed out that the government is also expanding the scope of training to new domains, including science administrators and academicians, with similar orientation efforts being explored for parliamentarians and ministers.
Singh empashised that this reflects a broader approach to preparing institutions for evolving governance demands.
PTC India Limited has appointed Sukhdev Singh (IAS, Retd.) as its Non-Executive Chairman, following a Board decision taken on April 16. His appointment will be effective after receiving consent from the CMDs of the four promoter companies, and he will hold the position until November 10, 2028.
The move comes as part of the company’s governance restructuring, under which the roles of Chairman and Managing Director have been separated.
A 1987-batch IAS officer, Singh retired in 2024 after serving as Chief Secretary of Jharkhand and holding several senior administrative positions. He was inducted as an Independent Director on the board of PTC India in November 2025.
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