Centre reshuffles top bureaucracy; gives new assignments to senior IAS officers

Former Punjab Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan has been brought in as the Drinking Water and Sanitation Secretary

The Narendra Modi government on Monday effected a reshuffle in its top bureaucracy by giving new assignments to senior IAS officers, including bringing former Punjab Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan as the new Drinking Water and Sanitation Secretary, and promoting a bunch of Special Secretaries to the post of Secretary.

Petroleum, Environment and Steel Ministries will get new Secretaries in the latest reshuffle for which order was issued by the Department of Personnel and Training following the approval of Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mahajan, who was the first woman Chief Secretary of Punjab during the last few months of Amarinder Singh's government, is a 1987-batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre and has been brought to the Centre on deputation. In September this year, Anirudh Tewari had replaced Mahajan after Charanjit Singh Channi became the Chief Minister of Punjab.

Pankaj Jam, an Assam-Meghalaya cadre officer of 1990-batch who was Additional Secretary in Department of Financial Services, will be the new Petroleum Secretary.

Leena Nandan, a 1987-batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, will take over as Environment Secretary in place of R P Gupta who is retiring on December 31. At present, Nandan is Consumer Affairs Secretary.

Sanjay Kumar Singh, a Madhya Pradesh cadre officer of 1987-batch who heads the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) and Department of Pensions and Pensioners Welfare (DPPW), has been shifted to Steel Ministry as its Secretary. V Srinivas, who is a Special Secretary in DARPG, will replace Singh in DARPG and DPPW.

Manoj Joshi, a Kerala cadre IAS officer of 1989-batch and presently Special Secretary in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, will take over as Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary after Durga Shanker Mishra retires on December 31.

Rajeev Ranjan of Madhya Pradesh cadre (1989-batch), a Special Secretary in Department of Expenditure, will now be Secretary in the National Commission for Backward Classes.

Bharat Lal, a 1988-batch officer of Indian Forest Services who is presently an Additional Secretary in Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, will be the new Secretary in Lokpal. He will replace BK Agarwal whose contract is ending on December 31.

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