Ganesh Nagarajan (IFoS:2015:MN), who was recommended for central deputation by the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, has been selected for appointed as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Delhi, for four years. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Wednesday (16.04.2025), Mr Nagarajan will serve in the post under central staffing scheme for a period of four years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
L S Changsan gets addl. charge of CEO of National Health Authority
L S Changsan (IAS:1994:AM), currently serving as Additional Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare, has been given additional charge of the post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), National Health Authority (NHA). According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (15.04.2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved ex-post facto assignment of additional charge of the post of CEO, NHA, for a period of one year with effect from 22.08.2024, or till the appointment of a regulary incumbent to the post, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Is Kerala IAS officer N Prasanth waging unending battle?
The suspended Kerala IAS officer, N Prasanth, seems to be stepping into a zone of protracted battle due to his unusual habit of using social media to pick up targets and intensify confrontation. His current target is Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan. After pointing various accusations at several bureaucrats, his latest salvo against the Chief Secretary comes in form of a demand of immediate action on his long-pending promotion.
A 2007-batch officer, Prasanth again chose Facebook to share his grievance after detailing his meeting with Muraleedharan in a formal hearing. Prasanth’s belligerence invited suspension for him, yet he remained unstoppable and continued to level serious allegations against senior bureaucrats, including Additional Chief Secretary A Jayathilak (1991-batch), IAS officer K Gopalakrishnan (2013-batch), and later turned his guns at Muraleedharan herself. He went to the extent of slapping legal notices on them, accusing them of fabricating charges and conspiring against him.
In his latest post, he claims that his promotion has been hanging fire since 2022, and cites the rule saying promotion issues should be settled in a matter of six months. Now he wants his due promotion now and claims his life is at stake. He even warns against any action on his social media posts by saying, “to initiate action against the FB post I made is foolhardy and against the All India Service rules and to commence another probe should not be done.”
Earlier, he called for criminal proceedings against Jayathilak, Gopalakrishnan, and a media group, accusing them of conspiracy and the fabrication of documents. He then threatens the government by saying that the rule of law is also applicable to the Government and it should not behave in a manner that those aggrieved can resort to legal redress. This does not augur well for governance.
Interestingly, he wants all tricky issues he has been raising to be resolved first before his his suspension is revoked. He wants the government not to show any hurry to revoke his suspension. He is clear about his priorities, issues raised by him need to be redressed first.
Prasanth seems to be in for a protracted battle ahead as current Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan is retiring on April 30, and his original betenoire, Jayathilak, is likely to succeed her as Chief Secretary. Thus, the ongoing dispute is also unlikely to end soon.
(By-Dinesh Kumar)
Major reshuffle at Additional Secretary level; KK Pathak appointed Additional Secretary in Cabinet Secretariat
The Modi government on Friday (18.04.2025) effected a major bureaucratic reshuffle at the Additional Secretary level. While 25 officers were appointed as Additional Secretary, another 15 were elevated in-situ to the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.
The names of the officers and their postings are as follows;
- Keshav Kumar Pathak (IAS:1990:BH), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat.
- Abhishek Singh (IAS:1995:NL) has been appointed as Director General, National Informatics Centre (NIC), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary by keeping the Recruitment Rules of the post in abeyance. He will also hold the additional charge of his current post i.e. Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.
- Bhuvnesh Kumar (IAS: 1995: UP), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, has been appointed as CEO, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
- Suman Billa (IAS:1996:KL), Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Director General (Tourism), Ministry of Tourism.
- Vir Vikram Yadav (IAS:1996:OR), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.
- Sanoj Kumar Jha (IAS:1997:SK), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Coal by temporarily upgrading a vacant post of Joint Secretary in the Ministry.
- M S Srikar (IAS:1999:KN), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat. He will replace Puneet Kansal (IAS: 1996: SK), who is set to complete his tenure on 26.04.2025.
- Mugdha Sinha (IAS:1999:RJ) has been appointed as Managing Director, India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (ITDC) in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India. Presently, she is serving as DG, Tourism.
- Hirdesh Kumar (IAS:1999:AGMUT) has been appointed as MD, Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India, Ministry of Tribal Affairs vice Ashish Chatterjee (IAS:1999:TN). Presently, he is serving as Deputy Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India.
- Ashish Chatterjee (IAS:1999:TN) has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Steel. Currently, he is MD, Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).
- Jitendra Srivastava (IAS:2000:BH) has been appointed as CMD, REC Ltd, Ministry of Power in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India. Presently, he is Joint Secretary, Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation.
- N Saravana Kumar (IAS:2000:BH), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Vice Chairman, Delhi Development Authority, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
- Solomon Arokiaraj (IAS:2000:AP) has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance. Presently, he is Joint Secretary, DEA.
- Abhijit Sinha (IAS:2000:NL) has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Home in the Ministry of Home Affairs. He is Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce.
- Amitabh Kumar (IRS-C&IT: 1992) has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. He is Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Yatinder Prasad (IA&AS:1993),Joint Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Department of Science & Technology, Ministry of Science & Technology along with the charge of Financial Advisor, Department of Biotechnology and Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- Saurabh Kumar Tiwari (IP&TA&FS:1993), Joint Secretary, Direct Benefit Transfer Mission, Cabinet Secretariat, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, DBT Mission by restoring the post to Additional Secretary level.
- Prabhat (IRPS:1993), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
- Sanjiv Shankar (IRS-IT: 1993) has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution. Presently, he is Joint Secretary, Ministry of I&B.
- Roop Rashi (IA&AS:1994) has been appointed CEO, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Ministry of MSME in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary. Presently, she is Textile Commissioner, Mumbai.
- Valeti Premchand (IDES:1994), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development.
- Vinod Kotwal (IP&TA&FS:1994), Member Secretary, National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority, Department of Pharmaceuticals, has been transferred and appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare by temporarily upgrading a vacant post of DS/Director in the Department.
- Mihir Kumar (IDAS:1996) has been appointed as CEO, Government e-Marketplace Special Purpose Vehicle under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India. Presently, he is Joint Secretary, Department of Home, Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Hoveyda Abbas (IA&AS:1997), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare by curtailing the extended central deputation tenure of Jaideep Kumar Mishra (ICAS: 1993).
- Amitesh Kumar Sinha (IRAS:1997), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology vice Bhuvnesh Kumar (IAS:1995:UP).
Additionally, The ACC has also approved in-situ upgradation of as many as fifteen officers in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India as a measure personal to them.
They are;
- Sonal Mishra (IAS: 1997: GJ) in the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.
- Manish Thakur (IAS: 1998: AM) in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
- Indra Mallo (IAS: 1999: MH) in National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention, Cabinet Secretariat.
- D. Anandan (IAS: 2000: SK) in the Department Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.
- Deepak Agarwal (IAS: 2000: UP), Managing Director, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) under the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
- P Hemalatha (IAS: 2000: KN), Development Commissioner, Cochin Special Economic Zone, Department of Commerce.
- Piyush Singh (IAS: 2000: MH) in the Ministry of Power.
- Manmeet Kaur Nanda (IAS: 2000: WB) in the Department or Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- Aparna Sachin Sharma (CSS: 1989) in the Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers.
- Nirupama Kotru (IRS IT: 1992) in the Ministry of Coal.
- Amita Prasad Sarbhai (IRAS: 1993) in the Ministry of Culture.
- Biswaranjan Sasmal (IRS IT: 1993) in the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment.
- Amrit Raj (IPoS: 1994), Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles.
- Rama Shankar Sinha (IFoS: 1995: AGMUT) in the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries.
- G Madhumita Das (IPoS: 1996) in the Ministry of Labour & Employment.
Centre enacts major bureaucratic reshuffle; Arvind Shrivastava appointed new Revenue Secretary
In a significant bureaucratic reshuffle, the Modi government on Friday (April 18, 2025) announced the appointment of new Secretaries across several key ministries.
The most prominent among them is the appointment of Arvind Shrivastava (IAS:1994:KN) as the new Revenue Secretary. Shrivastava is currently serving as Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The names of the officers and their posting are as follows;
- Ms Meeta R Lochan (IAS:1990:MH), Secretary in the Department of Youth Affairs, has been appointed as Secretary, National Commission for Backward Classes. She will replace A Neeraja (IFoS:1990:UP) upon her superannuation on 31.05.2025.
- K Moses Chahal (IAS:1990:MN), Secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs, has been transferred and appointed as Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Finance.
- Manoj Govil (IAS:1991:MP), Secretary in the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, has been transferred and posted as Secretary (Co-ordination), Cabinet Secretariat. He will replace Vandana Gurnani (IAS:1991:KN) upon her appointment as Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment.
- Vandana Gurnani (IAS:1991:KN), Secretary (Co-ordination), Cabinet Secretariat, has been transferred and posted as Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment.
- Ranjit Punhani (IAS:1991:BH), Secretary, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, has been transferred and posted as Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. He will replace Atul Kumar Tiwari (IAS:1990:KN) upon his retirement on June 30, 2025.
- Ashish Srivatava (IAS:1992:MP), Advisor, Inter State Council Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs, has been transferred and posted as Secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Vumlunmang Vualnam (IAS:1992:MN), Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has been transferred and posted as Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance. He will replace Manoj Govil (IAS:1991:MP) upon his Secretary (Co-ordination), Cabinet Secretariat.
- Nikunja Bihari Dhal (IAS:1993:OR), presently serving in the cadre, has been posted as Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. He will replace Umang Narula (IAS:1989:AGMUT) upon his superannuation on June 30,2025.
- Rakesh Kumar Verma (IAS:1993:PB), Additional Secretary in the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, has been transferred and posted as Director General, Indian International Institute of Democracy and Election Management in the rank and pay of Secretary.
- Anuradha Thakur (IAS:1994:HP), Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, has been transferred and posted as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, in the rank and pay of Secretary. She will replace Ajay Seth (IAS:1987:KN) upon his retirement of June 30, 2025.
- Rajesh Agrawal (IAS:1994:MN), Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, has been appointed as Special Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. He will replace Sunil Barthwal (IAS:1989:BH) upon his retirement on September 30, 2025.
- Arvind Shrivastava (IAS:1994:KN), Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, has been transferred and posted as Secretary, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.
- Vivek Aggarwal (IAS:1994:MP), Additional Secretary in the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, has been transferred and appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Culture.
- Santosh Kumar Sarangi (IAS:1994:OR), Director General, Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industries, has been transferred and posted as Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
- Pallavi Jain Govil (IAS:1994:MP), Director General of Hydrocarbons, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, has been transferred and posted as Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs. She will replace Meeta R Lochan (IAS:1990:MH), who has been appointed as Secretary, National Commission for Backward Classes.
- Nidhi Chhibber (IAS:1994:CG), Additional Secretary in the NITI Aayog, has been transferred and posted as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries in the rank and pay of Secretary. She will replace Subrata Gupta (IAS:1990:WB), who is set to retire on May 31, 2025.
- Samir Kumar Sinha (IAS:1994:CG), Additional Secretary & Director General (Acquisition), Department of Defence, has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation. He will replace Vumlunmang Vualnam (IAS:1992:MN), who has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.
- Hari Ranjan Rao (IAS:1994:MP), Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, has been transferred and appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in the rank and pay of Secretary. He will replace Sujata Chaturvedi (IAS:1989:BH), who is set to retire on June 30, 2025.
In addition, the ACC also approved the in-situ upgradation of two IAS officers to the level of Special Secretary in the pay and rank of Secretary.
- Rajesh Kumar Sinha (IAS:1994:KL) as Special Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways.
- Ranjana Chopra (IAS:1994:OR) as Special Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Culture.
Govt appoints 4 senior IRS officers as members of CBDT
The Government of India has appointed four senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers as members of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). These members are: L Rajasekhar Reddy, Pankaj Kumar Mishra, Sanjay Bahadur and G Aparna Rao. They have been placed in the Revenue Department under the Ministry of Finance and will be holding the status of Special Secretary to the Government of India in Level 17 from the date of assuming charge.
While Rajasekhar Reddy is currently serving as Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax at Chennai in charge of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry regions, Pankaj Kumar Mishra is posted as Member (Finance) in the Atomic Energy Commission.
Similarly, Sanjay Bahadur is currently serving as Principal Director General (Training) at Delhi, and G Aparna Rao, currently posted as Principal Chief Commissioner, Income Tax at Bengaluru is in charge of the Bengaluru and Goa regions of the department.
Suprakash Adhikari appointed Director (Technical), NHPC Limited
Suprakash Adhikari, currently serving as Executive Director (ED) in the NHPC Limited, has been appointed as Director (Technical), NHPC Limited. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (15.04.205), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Power to appoint Mr Adhikari to the post till the date of his retirement, i.e. August 31, 2028, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Notably, the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) conducted interviews on January 18, 2025, with 12 candidates before recommending
Suprakash Adhikari’s name to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet for the position.
Ankur Baruah appointed Director (HR), Oil India Limited
Ankur Baruah, currently serving as Executive Director (ED) of Oil India Limited (OIL), has been appointed as Director (Human Resources), OIL. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (15.04.205), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Mr Baruah to the post till the date of his retirement, i.e. February 29, 2028, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Notably, the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) conducted interviews on January 15, 2025, with 12 candidates before recommending Ankur Baruah’s name to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet for the position.
Sachidananda Maharana appointed Director (Finance), Numaligarh Refinery Limited
Sachidananda Maharana, currently serving as Chief General Manager (CGM) of Oil India Limited (OIL), has been appointed as Director (Finance), Numaligarh Refinery Limited. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (15.04.205), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Mr Mahapatra to the post till the date of his retirement, i.e. December 31, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Notably, the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) conducted interviews on February 1, 2025, with 10 candidates before recommending
Sachidananda Maharana’s name to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet for the position.
Less than 1,000 women occupy senior ranks in police force: India Justice Report
Façade often conceals a grim reality. It is corroborated by the latest India Justice Report (IJR), released on Tuesday at the India International Centre (IIC). Despite the tall talk of women’s empowerment and equal opportunities, the latest edition of the India Justice Report reveals a different story altogether. According to it, there are less than 1,000 women occupying senior ranks in India’s 20.3 lakh strong police force, especially in the ranks of Superintendents and Director-Generals.
Similarly, the number of women non-IPS officers is just over 25,000, comprising just 8% of the 3.1 lakh total officers. Pitiably, 90% of women in the police force occupy the constabulary rank. This figure is based on the national database of IJR 2025.
The two-year study used data from the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) among others.
According to the report, Karnataka is the top-ranking state overall followed by Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala on the indicators of the justice delivery mechanism. This is the fourth edition of the report, brought out in collaboration with partners including the Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, DAKSH, TISS-Prayas, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, and How India Lives, IJR’s data partner. Initiated by the Tata Trusts, IJR’s findings were first published in 2019.
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