NEW DELHI: Power Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla is all set to become the new Home Secretary with the government on Wednesday appointing him as Officer on Special Duty in the high-profile ministry.
Bhalla, a 1984-batch Assam Meghalaya cadre IAS, is likely to take over from incumbent Rajiv Gauba, who will demit the office on August 31, on his superannuation.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared the appointment of Bhalla as OSD in the ministry with immediate effect.
Even though the order did not mention that Bhalla will be the next home secretary but according to convention, an OSD is appointed for smooth transition of the charge from the incumbent, officials said.
Bhalla will have a fixed two-year tenure as the union home secretary till August 2021.
In a major reshuffle of senior bureaucratic officials, Atanu Chakraborty, a 1985-batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer, was appointed as new Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs succeeding S C Garg, who will be the new Power Secretary.
Anil Kumar Khachi, a 1986-batch IAS from Himachal Pradesh cadre will be the new Secretary, Disinvestment succeeding Chakraborty, a government order said.
Anshu Prakash, 1986-batch UT cadre IAS officer, was appointed Secretary in the Department of Telecommunication while his batch-mate from West Bengal cadre RS Shukla will join as Secretary, Parliamentary Affairs, it said.
Ravi Capoor, a 1986-batch Assam Meghalaya cadre, was appointed Secretary, Textiles while his batch-mate Atul Chaturvedi was sent to Animal Husbandry and Dairying department in same capacity.
Another Gujarat cadre officer P D Vaghela, 1986-batch, will be the new Secretary in Department of Pharmaceuticals, the order said.