Centre reshuffles top IAS officers

Almost three weeks after effecting a major reshuffle in the bureaucracy, the Centre has found new secretaries for five ministries and three departments.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cleared files on 20 officers, which include transfers, appointments, extensions and ex-post facto approvals.

Besides the appointment of Rajiv Mehrishi, the other prominent appointment was that of Anil Swarup, a 1981-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer, to the Coal Ministry.

Swarup has been appointed the Officer on Special Duty in the Coal Ministry and will take over after S K Srivastava retires this month-end.

The immediate challenge before Swarup, presently posted in the Cabinet Secretariat and known to be a tough taskmaster, will be implementing the Supreme Court order on cancellation of coal block allocations. Anuj Kumar Bhushan, another 1981-batch IAS officer from the UP cadre, will replace Alok Rawat as the new Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation Secretary.

Rawat, a 1977-batch IAS officer of the Sikkim cadre, has been posted to the Department of Administrative Reforms, Public Grievances and Pensions. Ashok Kumar Angurana, a Jammu and Kashmir cadre IAS officer of the 1980 batch, will be the new secretary of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Angurana is presently Managing Director of TRIFED under the Tribal Affairs Ministry.

Prabhu Dayal Meena, a 1980 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as secretary in the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare. Meena, who is presently special secretary in the Department of Land Resources, will replace Sangita Gairola, who retires this month-end. Vinod Agrawal, a 1980-batch Jharkhand cadre IAS officer, who is at present adviser in the Inter-State Council Secretariat, has been appointed as secretary of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.

Bhaskar Khulbe, a 1983-batch West Bengal cadre IAS officer, has been appointed as additional secretary in the PMO.