Govt affects major bureaucratic overhaul

In a major top-level bureaucratic reshuffle, the Union Government on Tuesday approved appointments and transfers of 25 civil servants, including senior IAS officers, across crucial ministries and departments. Chanchal Kumar has been appointed secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, while incumbent Sanjay Jaju will take over as secretary, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.

In another rejig, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) also approved posting of Vir Vikram has been appointed as the new Director General of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), replacing Faiz Ahmed Kidwai.

Further, Tejveer Singh has been named secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals. Nivedita Shukla Verma has been appointed as secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances. She will also hold additional charge as secretary, Department of Pensions and Pensioners’ Welfare.

Senior IAS officer Puneet Kansal has been appointed as additional secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation while Vishal Gagan will be secretary, Central Information Commission (CIC), an order issued by the Personnel Ministry said.

Gyanendra D Tripathi, a 1998 batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, has been appointed as additional secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Secretary, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Sridhar Chiruvolu, joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), has been appointed as additional secretary at the same place. Ansuman Pattanaik, director general, Competition Commission of India, will be additional secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, the order said.

N Gulzar, additional secretary in the Department of Telecommunications, has been appointed as member secretary, National Capital Region Planning Board, while Diwakar Nath Misra will be additional secretary, Ministry of Power and Debasish Prusty will be the new additional secretary, Department of Financial Services.

Arti Kanwar has been appointed as additional secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Darpan Jain as additional secretary, Department of Commerce, and Ankita Mishra Bundela as additional secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

While Lokhande Prashant Sitaram and Anuj Sharma have been appointed as additional secretaries in the Home Affairs Ministry, Gujarat-cadre IAS officer Vijay Nehra has been appointed as additional secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Siddharth Jain as additional secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, and Neetu Kumari Prasad as additional secretary, Department of Revenue, the order said.

Meenaxi Rawat will be additional secretary and financial adviser, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Yashvir Singh will be additional secretary, Department of Commerce, and Hari Har Mishra will be additional secretary, Department of Financial Services.

Veena Kumari Dermal has been named additional secretary in the Mines Ministry while Aparna Bhatia will be Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.