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Tamil Nadu govt promotes 25 IAS officers; 7 elevated to Additional Chief Secretary rank

By
LO Bureau
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The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday issued promotion orders for Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers across multiple batches, upgrading officers to higher ranks and grades. All promotions will come into effect from January 1, 2026, and three separate government orders to this effect were issued on Wednesday.

As part of the exercise, seven IAS officers from the 1995 batch, who are currently serving in the rank of Principal Secretary, have been promoted to the Chief Secretary grade. Following their promotion, they will be re-designated as Additional Chief Secretaries from January 1, 2026.

The officers promoted to the rank of Additional Chief Secretary (Chief Secretary grade) are M A Siddique, Principal/Managing Director, Chennai Metro Rail Limited; R Jaya, Principal Secretary-cum-Commissioner, Department of Economics and Statistics; Dr P Senthilkumar, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department; Sandhya Venugopal Sharma, Principal Secretary-cum-Chairperson, Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation; T Udhayachandran, Principal Secretary, Finance Department; Hitesh Kumar S Makwana, Surveyor General of India, Dehradun, who has been granted proforma promotion; and Dr B Chandra Mohan, Principal Secretary, School Education Department.

In another order, six IAS officers from the 2002 batch have been promoted from the rank of Secretary to Principal Secretary. These promotions will also take effect from January 1, 2026. The officers elevated to the rank of Principal Secretary are Archana Patnaik, Chief Electoral Officer and Secretary, Public (Elections) Department; Sigy Thomas Vaidhyan, Commissioner, Disaster Management; C Samayamoorthy, Secretary-II to the Chief Minister; Reeta Harish Thakkar, Secretary, Public and Rehabilitation Department; and Jayashree Muralidharan, Secretary, Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department.

Similarly, twelve IAS officers from the 2010 batch have been promoted to the Super Time Scale. The officers promoted include R Lalitha, Commissioner of Textiles, Chennai; Praveen P Nair, currently on central deputation as Private Secretary to the Union Education Minister, who has been granted proforma promotion; Shankar Lal Kumawat, on central deputation as Director in the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance; Dr Subodh Kumar, on central deputation as Director in the Ministry of Ayush; Ajay Yadav, Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Cements Corporation Limited; Rashmi Siddharth Zagade, Senior Collector, Chennai district; R Kannan, Secretary, State Human Rights Commission, Chennai; S Natarajan, Additional Commissioner (RA), Revenue Administration; A Sivagnanam, Chief Executive Officer, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority; L Nirmalraj, Commissioner of Industries and Director of Industries and Commerce; S A Raman, Commissioner of Labour, Chennai; and A Annadurai, Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation.

Know all about Anu Garg—Odisha’s first woman Chief Secretary-designate

By
LO Bureau
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Anu Garg IAS

The Odisha government issued a notification naming senior IAS officer Anu Garg (IAS:1991:OR) as its next Chief Secretary on Wednesday. With this appointment Garg secures a place in the bureaucratic history of the state as the first woman Chief Secretary of Odisha.

The General Administration & Public Grievance (GA & PG) Department of the Odisha government issued a notification in this connection. Garg was selected for this post, superseding at least two other senior IAS officers.

She will take charge on January 1, 2026, succeeding Manoj Ahuja (IAS:1989:OR), who is retiring on December 31.

Garg is currently posted as a Development Commissioner and Secretary of the Planning and Convergence Department with the additional charge of Additional Chief Secretary of the Water Resources Department.

A 1969-born bureaucrat, Garg holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the prestigious Lady Shri Ram College of Delhi University, a master’s degree in Sociology from Lucknow University, and a master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA.

After becoming an IAS officer at the young age of 22, this 1991-batch officer brings with her a wealth of administrative experience. Becoming Odisha’s first woman Chief Secretary is not the only feather in her cap; she scripted history in February 2023 by becoming the first woman to be appointed as the Development Commissioner, the second-highest-ranked bureaucrat in the state administration.

Before becoming the Development Commissioner, she served as Principal Secretary in the Departments of Labour and ESI and Women & Child Development under the Odisha government.

During the initial phase of her career, between 1992 and 2003, Garg served in various districts in various capacities, including Collector and District Magistrate, Additional District Magistrate, and Sub-divisional Magistrate.

Her career as a bureaucrat got extensive exposure after her posting at the central level, where she served in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as Joint Secretary. She also worked in the Ministry of Textiles and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the capacity of Joint Secretary.

Garg is credited with playing a crucial role in taking several flagship schemes to the grassroots level, including Subhadra Yojana, the new input subsidy scheme, and health insurance card initiatives. Her role in implementing policy decisions into on-ground execution has been considered a major strength.

Besides being Odisha’s first woman Chief Secretary, Garg also becomes the 47th civil servant overall to hold this post.

Gujarat govt’s faux pas turns into déjà vu for IAS Mohammad Shahid

By
LO Bureau
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Appointment of civic bodies Administrators

A faux pas by the Gujarat government makes an IAS officer have a feeling of déjà vu. It all began on Tuesday when the state govt ordered the transfer of 26 senior IAS officers, only to modify it the very next day. The transfer order of IAS officer Mohammad Shahid (IAS:1998:GJ), issued on Dec 23, was modified with a fresh transfer the very next day, on Dec 24.

The interesting part of this faux pas is that this is the second time Shahid has been transferred twice from the same department within days of a reshuffle.

On Dec 23, Shahid was transferred from the Social Justice and Empowerment Department to the Tribal Development Department, replacing Shahmeena Hussain (IAS:1997:GJ), who held the post in additional charge.

On Dec 24, Shahid was transferred from the Social Justice and Empowerment Department to Cottage and Rural Industries as Commissioner, including the charge as Principal Secretary, Cottage and Rural Industries, Industries and Mines Department.

So, now after this abrupt change, Hussain will continue to hold the additional charge of the post of Principal Secretary, Tribal Development Department, until further orders.

A similar incident had taken place in July 2018, when three IAS officers had been re-transferred within a week of their transfers on July 12, 2018.

Sources close to this development had revealed it was the “side effect” of a critical detail that the government had reportedly “overlooked” in Shahid’s case. He was transferred on July 12, 2018, along with 20 other IAS officers, from the post of Commissioner of Fisheries to Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Gujarat Maritime Board, replacing Ajay Bhadoo (IAS:1999:GJ). But he was posted back to his original department as Principal Secretary, Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department, an additional post he was holding.

That time it was ascribed to his perceived proximity to former Congress Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat.

After a few months of Harish Rawat’s taking over as the CM in February 2014, Shahid was sent on an inter-cadre deputation from Gujarat to Uttarakhand, where he served as private secretary to CM Rawat. Even before this appointment, he had also served as the personal secretary to Rawat when he was the Union Minister for Water Resources in the then UPA government. Later Shahid was forcibly relieved from Uttarakhand and sent on central deputation only to be repatriated to his home cadre—Gujarat—in August 2015.

But the Gujarat government seems to have not been briefed properly about this case history.

Delhi to host 3-day National Conference of Chief Secretaries; PM Modi to chair

By
LO Bureau
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National Conference of Chief Secretaries

The national capital city of Delhi is going to host a three-day National Conference of Chief Secretaries this week. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair this conference, to be held between Dec 26 and 28.

This fifth National Conference of Chief Secretaries is being organized with the purpose of streamlining and consolidating coordination between the Centre and the state.

According to government sources, apart from chief secretaries, several other officials, including young District Collectors and Magistrates from all states and Union Territories, as well as several Union Ministers, are expected to attend the conference.

The agenda of this conference is to enhance partnership between the Centre and the states.

A government official believes it will be a significant step towards further strengthening the cooperation between the Centre and state governments.

ACC approves re-designation of five 2012-batch officers to Director level

By
LO Bureau
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Kartavya Bhawan

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Tuesday approved the re-designation of five officers from the 2012 batch of different All India and Central Services to the post of Director. According to the approval, the re-designation will come into effect from January 1, 2026. All five officers are currently serving at the level of Deputy Secretary in various ministries and departments of the Government of India.

The officers whose posts have been re-designated include Tamanna Sinha (IES:2012), serving in the Central Vigilance Commission; Bhuvnesh Pratap Singh (IAS:2012:JH), posted in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade; Parthasarathy Bhaskar Devarakonda (IRS-C&IT:2012), working in the Cabinet Secretariat; Shekhar Srivastava (ISS:2012), serving in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs; and Siva Shankar Bandi (IDAS:2012), posted in the Central Vigilance Commission.

Amit Kumar’s post as Minister’s Private Secretary re-designated to Director level

By
LO Bureau
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Amit Kumar IAS

The post held by Amit Kumar (IAS:2012:BH), who is currently serving at the level of Deputy Secretary as Private Secretary to the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, has been re-designated to the Director level.

According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training on Tuesday (December 23, 2025), the competent authority has approved the re-designation of the post with effect from January 1, 2026, or from the date of assumption of charge of the re-designated post, whichever is later.

The order specifies that the re-designated tenure will be valid up to August 20, 2029, or on a co-terminus basis with the Minister, or until he ceases to function as Private Secretary to the Minister, or until further orders, whichever occurs earlier.

Amit Kumar commenced his central deputation on August 21, 2024.

Ajay Bartwal’s post in Cabinet Secretariat re-designated as Director

By
LO Bureau
-
Cabinet Secretariat

The post held by Ajay Bartwal (IRAS:2012), who is currently serving as Deputy Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat (SR), has been re-designated to the level of Director.

According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training on Wednesday (December 24, 2025), the competent authority has approved the upgradation of the post to Director level under the Central Staffing Scheme. The re-designation will take effect from January 1, 2026, or from the date he assumes charge of the re-designated post, whichever is later.

The order further states that the tenure of the re-designated post will continue up to February 21, 2029, completing the total admissible central deputation tenure of five years.

Ajay Bartwal began his central deputation on February 22, 2024.

Telangana HC upholds DGP Shivadhar Reddy’s appointment, directs state to send panel to UPSC in two Weeks

By
LO Bureau
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IPS appointments to IAS posts

The Telangana High Court on Wednesday (December 24, 2025) declined to interfere with the appointment of B Shivadhar Reddy (IPS:1994:TG) as the State Director General of Police, but directed the state government to complete the remaining statutory process within a fixed timeline.

While refusing to set aside the appointment, the court instructed the Telangana government to forward a panel of eligible IPS officers to the Union Public Service Commission within two weeks and submit a compliance report. The court also made it clear that the selection of the state police chief must strictly follow the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court.

The directions were issued during the hearing of a petition filed by Hyderabad-based social activist T Madhan Gopal Rao, who had challenged the September orders appointing Shivadhar Reddy as DGP. The petitioner contended that the state government failed to adhere to the Supreme Court’s 2018 directives governing the appointment of police chiefs.

According to the petitioner, the government was required to initiate the process by sending details to the UPSC at least three months before the retirement of the outgoing DGP. He further alleged that no panel of eligible officers was forwarded to the UPSC, effectively delaying the process of making a regular appointment to the post.

After hearing the matter on multiple occasions, the High Court chose not to annul the appointment but underscored that procedural compliance could not be overlooked. The court directed the state to submit its counter only after forwarding the panel to the UPSC.

The matter has been posted for further hearing on January 20.

Additional Secretary Biswaranjan Sasmal repatriated to parent cadre

By
LO Bureau
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Biswaranjan Sasmal IRS

Biswaranjan Sasmal (IRS-IT:1993), currently serving as Additional Secretary in the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, has been repatriated to his parent cadre on personal grounds.

According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (December 24, 2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved his repatriation to the parent cadre. Sasmal is scheduled to retire on February 28, 2026.

He was appointed as Joint Secretary in the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment in July 2023. In January 2025, Sasmal was empanelled for holding Additional Secretary-level posts in the Government of India and was subsequently granted in-situ upgradation to the rank of Additional Secretary in April 2025 in the same department.

CAT directs Rajasthan govt to consider giving promotion to IPS Pankaj Choudhary

By
LO Bureau
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IPS Pankaj Choudhary

Giving an interim relief to Rajasthan IPS officer Pankaj Choudhary (IPS:2009:RJ), the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has directed the state govt to consider giving him a pending promotion on a provisional basis in this year’s Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meeting.

Choudhary had moved the tribunal complaining of prolonged denial of promotion. He is currently serving as Superintendent of Police (SP), community policing, in the state. The CAT bench comprising Ranjana Shahi and Lok Ranjan passed the order on Friday.

Choudhary contended that he was denied three promotions just because of cases pending against him. According to his petition, CAT had earlier directed the state govt to conduct time-bound investigations in all these cases, but the govt failed to complete investigations in any of these.

The tribunal took note of the delay and directed the state govt to provisionally consider Choudhary’s case in the forthcoming DPC.

If Choudhary is considered for promotion in this year’s DPC, he is likely to be elevated to the rank of Deputy Inspector General (DIG).

The CAT also made it clear that the provisional promotion would not come in the way of the final outcome of the petition.

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