Modi govt reshuffles top bureaucrats, makes 15 secretary-level appointments

In a major top-level bureaucratic reshuffle, the Modi government has appointed 15 senior officers in different central ministries and departments.

The list of newly appointed OSDs, secretaries and laterally shifted secretaries are as follows:

1. Rameshwar Prasad Gupta (Retd IAS:1987:GJ) has been appointed as CMD of Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) Ltd. in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India on contract basis for a period of two years.
2. Bharat Lal (Retd.IFoS:1988:GJ) has been appointed as Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India on contract basis for a period of one year. He will succeed Devendra Kumar Singh (IAS:1989:KL) upon his superannuation on 30.06.2023. Presently, he is DG, National Centre for Good Governance.
3. Atal Dulloo (lAS:1989:AGMUT), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Border Management under the Ministry of Home Affairs. He succeeds Dharmendra S Gangwar (IAS:1988:BH) upon his retirement on 30.06.2023.
4. Vibhu Nayar (lAS:1990:TN), Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor (AS & FA), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), has been elevated as Special Secretary & FA by temporarily upgrading the post in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India. Further, Nayar was also named as OSD in Ministry of Tribal Affairs w.e.f. 01.11.2023. He will succeed Anil Kumar Jha (IAS:1988:KN); the outgoing Secretary for Tribal Affairs retiring on 30.11.2023. 
5. TK Ramachandran (IAS:1991:TN) has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. He replaces Sudhansh Pant (IAS:1991:RJ). Presently, Ramachandran is Chairman, VO Chidambaranar Port Trust, Tuticorin.
6. Sudhansh Pant (IAS:1991:RJ), Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, has been laterally appointed in the Department of Health and Family Welfare (DoH&FW) as OSD. Pant will take over as Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, vice Rajesh Bhushan (lAS:1987:BH) upon his superannuation on 31 .07.2023.
7. S Gopalakrishnan (IAS:1991:TN) has been appointed as DG, National Productivity Council (NPC) under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India. Gopalakrishnan will replace Sundeep Kumar Nayak (IAS:1988: AGMUT) upon his superannuation on 31.07.2023. Presently, Gopalakrishnan is working as Special Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare.
8. Ms Debashree Mukherjee (IAS:1991:AGMUT) has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti w.e.f. 01.10.2023. Presently, she is Special Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti and will succeed Pankaj Kumar (IAS:1987:NL) as Secretary upon his superannuation on 30.09.2023.
9. Ms Nivedita Shukla Verma (IAS:1991:UP), Special Secretary, Department of Defence, has been appointed as OSD in the Department of Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. She will succeed Arun Baroka (IAS:1990:AGMUT) as Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals upon his superannuation on 31.08.2023.
10. Ms Renu Gonela Pillay (IAS:1991:CG) has been appointed as Secretary, National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) vice Ms Upma Srivastava (IAS:1988:SK) upon her superannuation on 31 .07.2023. Presently, she is posted in the cadre.
11. Ms Seema Jain (IAS:1991:PB) has been appointed as Member Finance, Space Commission in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India vice Talleen Kumar (lAS:1987:WB) upon his superannuation on 31 .07.2023. Seema Jain will also hold additional charge of Member Finance, Earth Commission and Atomic Energy Commission (with Headquarters at New Delhi). Presently she is posted in the cadre.
12. Pankaj Agrawal (IAS:1992:MP) has been appointed as OSD, Ministry of Power in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India. He will take over as Secretary, Ministry of Power vice Alok Kumar I (IAS:1988:UP) upon his superannuation on 30.06.2023. Presently, he is working as Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition), Ministry of Defence.
13. Chanchal Kumar (IAS:1992:BH) has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) in place of Rajiv Bansal (IAS:1988:NL) upon his superannuation on 31.08.2023. Presently, he is working as MD, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. He will join as OSD MoCA in the rank and pay of Secretary w.e.f. 01.07.2023.
14. Rajat Kumar Mishra (IAS:1992:RJ) has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. Presently, he is working as Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs.
15. Subhas Chandra Lal Das (IAS:1992:AGMUT) has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). Presently, he is DG, Hydrocarbons, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Further, the ACC also approved in-situ upgradation of two IAS officers to the level of Special Secretary in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.

They are;

1. Pramod Kumar Tiwari (IAS:1991:AM), DG, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, has been elevated in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
2. Vijay Kumar (IAS:1992: AGMUT), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation has been elevated as Special Secretary in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.