The Telangana government on Tuesday (December 16, 2025) assigned D. Krishna Bhaskar (IAS:2012:TG) full additional charge of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), Hyderabad relieving N. Balram (IRS-C&IT:2010) following the completion of his extended deputation tenure in the state on December 4, 2025.
Krishna Bhaskar, who is currently serving as CMD of the Transmission Corporation of Telangana (TRANSCO), has been entrusted with the additional responsibility until further orders. He is also posted as Special Secretary to Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.
N. Balram was serving as Director (Finance), SCCL, and was given full additional charge of CMD in January 2024 after the tenure of then CMD N. Sridhar (IAS:1997:TG) ended on December 31, 2023. His deputation to the Telangana government had been extended for one year beyond December 4, 2024, and concluded earlier this month, necessitating his return to the parent cadre.
Singareni Collieries Company Limited is a government-owned coal mining company jointly held by the Telangana government and the Union government in a 51:49 equity ratio.
The Haryana government has sent the same panel of five senior IPS officers to the UPSC for the purpose of selecting a new DGP. Before doing it, the government first relieved Shatrujeet Kapoor (IPS:1990:HY) of the DGP charge on Sunday. Kapoor’s removal from the DGP post cleared the decks for the appointment of the new DGP.
Kapoor handed over the charge of the DGP at the police headquarters on Dec 14, clearing the way for a fresh beginning of the appointment process for the new chief of the state police. That is the reason behind the government’s attaching Kapoor’s new posting order along with the panel sent to the UPSC for shortlisting three names for the DGP’s appointment.
The state had earlier sent a panel of five officers, including Shatrujeet Kapoor, to the UPSC for selecting the next DGP, citing the anticipated vacancy as officiating DGP OP Singh is due to retire on December 31, 2025. But the UPSC had returned the panel on the ground that no vacancy for the DGP post existed, as Shatrujeet Kapoor was only on leave and could resume duty anytime after returning from leave.
With Shatrujeet Kapoor formally removed from the post, the objection raised by the UPSC for considering the government’s panel stood addressed. The Legendofficers had reported that the state government will have to send a panel of eligible officers afresh to the UPSC for shortlisting.
After the Haryana government sent a proposal containing the names of five IPS officers to the UPSC for shortlisting three names, the commission stated in its communication that the state government is required to send its proposal only if there is an anticipation of the vacancy. The list of five names sent to the UPSC for shortlisting by the state government is as follows:
The name of officiating DGP O P Singh was not included in the list, as he is retiring on December 31, and as per the Supreme Court’s guidelines, an officer must have at least six months of service remaining to be eligible for the post.
It should be recalled that Kapoor had completed his two-year term as DGP. He was later asked to proceed on leave on October 14 following the allegation of his involvement in the suicide of fellow IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar (IPS:2001:HY). During this period, O.P. Singh (IPS:1992:HY) served as the officiating DGP.
The Chhattisgarh government on Tuesday (December 16, 2025) issued transfer and posting orders for 11 IAS officers, with a major reshuffle involving the replacement of district collectors in Sarguja, Bemetara, Korba, Dantewada, Sukma and Narayanpur.
The names of the officers and their postings are as follows;
Bhoskar Vilas Sandeepan (IAS:2011:CG), Collector, Sarguja, has been transferred and posted as Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Chhattisgarh.
Ranbir Sharma (IAS:2012:CG), Collector, Bemetara, has been transferred as MD, National Health Mission.
Ajeet Basant (IAS:2013:CG), Collector, Korba, has been transferred and posted as Collector, Sarguja.
Kunal Dudawat (IAS:2017:CG), Collector, Dantewada, has been transferred as Collector, Korba.
Devesh Kumar Dhruv (IAS:2018:CG), Collector, Sukma, has been transferred as Collector, Dantewada.
Pratishtha Mamgain (IAS:2018:CG), Collector, Narayanpur, has been transferred as Collector, Bemetara.
Namrata Jain (IAS:2019:CG), Additional Collector, Raipur with additional charge of Centre In-charge, Integrated Command & Control Centre, has been transferred and posted as Collector, Narayanpur.
Amit Kumar (IAS:2019:CG), Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Bilaspur, has been transferred as Collector, Sukma.
Prakash Kumar Sarway (IAS:2019:CG), Additional Collector, Sarangarh-Bilaigarh, has been posted as Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Bilaspur.
Gajendra Singh Thakur (IAS:2019:CG), Additional Collector, Sukma, has been transferred as CEO, Zila Panchayat, Dhamtari.
Roma Srivastava (IAS:2020:CG), CEO, Zila Panchayat, Dhamtari, has been transferred as Deputy Secretary, Mantralaya.
The Haryana government on Tuesday (December 15, 2025) issued transfer and posting orders for 10 IAS officers through three separate notifications, with several HCS officers also being moved alongside them.
The names of the officers and their postings are as follows;
Hema Sharma (IAS:2010:HY), Chief Settlement Commissioner, has been given additional charge of Special Secretary, Revenue & Disaster Management Department.
Dr. Brahmjeet Singh Rangi (IAS:2016:HY), Administrator, HSVP, Rohtak and Additional Director, Urban Estate, Rohtak, has been transferred and posted as Chief Vigilance Officer, HSVP.
Yogesh Kumar (IAS:2018:HY), Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Karnal and District Municipal Commissioner, Karnal, has been transferred as Member Secretary, Haryana State Pollution Control Board.
Anand Kumar Sharma (IAS:2019:HY), District Municipal Commissioner, Rohtak and Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Rohtak, has been given additional charge of Administrator, HSVP, Rohtak and Additional Director, Urban Estate, Rohtak.
Yogesh Kumar (IAS:2018:HY), Secretary, HAFED Panchkula and Additional Director (Admn), Hospitality, Haryana, has been transferred and posted as Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Karnal and District Municipal Commissioner, Karnal.
Subhita Dhaka (IAS:2018:HY), awaiting posting orders, has been posted as Additional Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Citizen Resources Information Officer, Palwal.
Jaideep Kumar (IAS:2019:HY), Additional Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Citizen Resources Information Officer, Palwal, has been transferred as Mission Director, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban).
Sonu Bhatt (IAS:2021:HY), Additional Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Citizen Resources Information Officer, Karnal and CEO, Zila Parishad, Karnal and CEO, DRDA, Karnal, has been transferred and posted as Additional Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Citizen Resources Information Officer, Gurugram and Additional Managing Director, HSIIDC and CEO, Global City Project, Gurugram.
Vivek Arya (IAS:2021:HY), Additional Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Citizen Resources Information Officer, Jind and CEO, Zila Parishad, Jind and CEO, DRDA, Jind, has been transferred as Additional Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Citizen Resources Information Officer, Kurukshetra.
Abhinav Siwach (IAS:2023:HY), SDO (Civil), Pehowa, has been transferred and posted as SDO (Civil), Bahadurgarh.
In a major leadership reshuffle for policy-making and administration, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) have shortlisted 15 senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers to man three vacant positions of Members on its board. These officers, belonging to the Customs & Indirect Taxes department, are from batches like 1990, 1991, and 1992, with at least one year of service remaining.
Five candidates have been selected for each post. The personal interactions are scheduled to be held on Dec 29, 2025 and January 2, 2026.
This exercise is part of a crucial leadership revamp ahead of the Union Budget 2026, in which emphasis has been given to experience and suitability of the candidates for policy roles.
Being the apex body for indirect taxes, the CBIC relies on senior IRS officers for its top leadership positions.
The 15 officers who have been called for interviews are Raj Kumar and Valte Vungzamuan from the 1990 batch; Prachi Saroop, Rimjhim Prasad, Rajesh Jindal, Mayank Kumar, Arti A Srinivas, and Shailendra Kumar Sinha from the 1991 batch; and Abhai Kumar Srivastav, S K Vimalanathan, Vimal Kumar Srivastava, Sanjay Mangal, Sunil Jain, Anuj Gogia, and Kajal Singh from the 1992 batch.
The vacancies have been caused by retirements. The Government of India aims to fill these crucial roles in policy formulation and administration through these appointments.
Ravi Ranjan has been appointed as the new Managing Director of the State Bank of India (SBI) with effect from December 15, 2025. He has assumed charge following the completion of tenure of Vinay M. Tonse, who demitted office on November 30, 2025. The appointment has been approved by the Government of India.
Under the provisions of the State Bank of India Act, 1955, Ravi Ranjan will hold the post until his superannuation in September 2028.
Notably, his name was recommended by the Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) after a selection process in which nine candidates were interviewed on September 11, 2025.
Prior to this elevation, Ravi Ranjan was serving as Deputy Managing Director at SBI. As Managing Director, he will be responsible for overseeing key verticals including risk management, compliance, and stressed asset resolution.
A career banker with over three decades of experience, Ravi Ranjan joined SBI in 1991 and has held several senior leadership roles across major functional areas such as corporate banking and global markets.
Nivedita Swain (IRAS:2010) has been appointed as Private Secretary to Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and Labour & Employment. Her appointment is made in Ministry of MSME, where she will take over the post from Vibha Chahal (IAS:2012:UP).
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (December 15, 2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved her appointment to the post at the Director level with effect from the date of assumption of the charge of the post for a period up to August 27, 2030 (i.e. for the balance period of her five years central deputation) on co-terminus basis with the Minister or till she ceases to function as Private Secretary to the Minister or until further orders, whichever event occurs the earliest.
To enable her posting, the government has cut short her tenure as Integrated Financial Adviser (Director level) in the Sashastra Seema Bal. She had been serving there since August 27, 2025.
Young IAS officer Anil Kumar (IAS:2017:BR) is the new Director of the Information and Public Relations Department (IPRD) of the Bihar government. He took charge of office at the Soochna Bhavan on Monday.
Kumar, who earlier served as the District Magistrate of Araria, clearly spelled out his priority when he said that he would be ensuring that information about welfare schemes of the government reaches every citizen. He stressed that his prime focus would be on people living in remote rural areas and villages.
Kumar also said that his strategy to reach the maximum number of people, particularly those living in nondescript rural areas, would be to use digital platforms, traditional media, and grassroots-level campaigns.
The young bureaucrat emphasised accurate and timely dissemination of information related to schemes on women’s empowerment, education, health, agriculture, and poverty alleviation.
Tenure of Vibha Chahal (IAS:2012:UP) as Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour & Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, has been curtailed.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (December 15, 2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal to curtail Chahal’s tenure and place her services on compulsory wait with the DoPT until her next posting under the Central Staffing Scheme.
Chahal had been serving as Private Secretary to the MSME Minister since July 2024. Her deputation tenure was originally scheduled to run until June 7, 2027, completing a five-year term at the Centre.
Her central deputation began in June 2022, when she was appointed Private Secretary to Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, the then Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, for a five-year term. She assumed charge of that post on June 7, 2022, and later continued her deputation with a change in ministerial assignment.
The Uttar Pradesh bureaucracy is dogged by a bizarre trend—the growing number of senior IAS officers seeking voluntary retirement (VRS) one after another. And the state government has no option except watching it helplessly. The result: about a dozen of them have already left the service, and many more are expected to follow suit and quit in the coming months.
This figure also includes those who opted for VRS in the past few years. Most of the officers cited personal (including health) reasons to quit the elite job.
One major reason behind this trend is the availability of better opportunities outside government service. It is raising a serious concern in the corridors of power.
Among the latest to seek VRS is 2004-batch officer Anamika Singh, whose decision triggered a fresh debate over the reasons behind the exodus. Similarly, Amod Kumar (IAS: 1995) is another officer who recently resigned. Those who have taken VRS in recent years include Vikas Gothalwal (IAS:2003), Vidya Bhushan (IAS:2008), G Sreenivasulu (IAS:2005), Rajiv Agarwal (IAS:1993), Mohammad Mustafa (IAS:1995), Rigzin Samphael (IAS:2003), Renuka Kumar (IAS:1987), and Juthika Patankar (IAS:1988). Rakesh Varma and RP Singh are also among those who left. Another UP cadre officer, Abhishek Singh (IAS:2011), resigned recently.
There is a sole example of G. Sreenivasulu, who withdrew his VRS request and returned to the service.
A senior official confirmed that Anamika Singh’s request for VRS is being processed. It was rumoured that it was the denial of central deputation to her that prompted her to seek VRS. But the source says she had not applied for central posting in the recent past.
The fact remains that there has been a sense of resentment among a section of UP-cadre IAS officers over their low representation at the Centre. Officers often claim that getting empanelled at the Centre is becoming increasingly difficult.
There is a perception among the IAS officers that postings in Varanasi or Ayodhya brighten their chances of securing central deputation, as many of them have done so in recent months. The reason behind it is that these key locations bring the officers to work into closer coordination with the Centre, increasing their chances of being picked.
The IAS Association of the state, which earlier used to take up the issues with the state government, has not come out with any view on this issue. Not only this, but the association has not been able to hold its ‘service week’ for the past few years. It has also contributed to the trend, as the annual general body meeting used to be organised during the ‘service week’ that provided an opportunity for the officers to raise their concerns.
Thus, the state government’s reluctance in clearing requests for central deputation is considered to have acted as a catalyst prompting the exodus.
But undeniably, the state government has its own reason behind not giving its nod, because it is facing shortages of officers at some levels in the state IAS cadre. But at the same time, it’s frustrating for many.
Whatever the reasons, it needs to be pondered as to why officers are leaving the bureaucratic careers once considered one of the country’s most sought-after government services.
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