NEW DELHI: In a bureaucratic rejig, Power Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla was on Wednesday appointed Officer on Special Duty in the Home Ministry. He will take over as the new Home Secretary succeeding Rajiv Gauba, who will retire on August 31. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Wednesday approved several Secretary level appointments.Atanu Chakraborty has been appointed the new Economic Affairs Secretary while his predecessor Subhash Chandra Garg will be the new Power Secretary. Chakraborty is currently Secretary DIPAM.
Bhalla, a 1984 batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, will join the Ministry of Home Affairs with immediate effect and continue to function as OSD till Gauba retires.The appointment of Bhalla is significant given the fact that he is taking over at a time when Home Minister Amit Shah is set to rejig the ministry’s dealings in the conflict areas of Kashmir and Naxal-hit Chhattisgarh. Bhalla will have a fixed two-year tenure as Union Home Secretary till August 2021.
According to the order, Anshu Prakash has been appointed as the new Telecom Secretary and will take charge with effect from August 1. Bengal cadre officer RS Shukla will join as Secretary, Parliamentary Affairs.Similarly, Assam Meghalaya cadre officer Ravi Capoor has been appointed Secretary, Textiles.
Atul Chaturvedi has been appointed as Secretary, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. Gujarat cadre officer P D Vaghela will be the new Secretary in Department of of Pharmaceuticals.