NEW DELHI: The Centre gave a three-month extension to Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan, who was due to retire on April 30, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the country. Sudan, a 1983 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS officer, is a key member of the 21-member national task force on coronavirus outbreak management. She is in charge of a crucial role in the government’s response to the unprecedented public health emergency crisis.
In a notification on Sunday, the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, said her tenure was being extended for “a period of 3 months beyond the date of her superannuation or until further orders, whichever is earlier”.Officials in the health ministry welcomed the order, saying that the senior bureaucrat’s presence is crucial to tide over the crisis as “she has seen the situation evolve and has led from the front.”
Apart from Sudan, the Centre undertook a major re-jig of bureaucracy involving 22 other IAS officers of the rank from Additional Secretary, Special Secretary to Secretary. Two senior bureaucrats from the PMO — AK Sharma and Tarun Bajaj — were appointed as Secretary, MSME Ministry and Secretary, Economic Affairs, Finance Ministry. CBSE chairperson Anita Karwal, who had faced a backlash over Board paper leaks, was appointed as secretary in school education and literacy department, MHRD. Amit Khare, a 1985-batch officer, retained the higher education department, MHRD but returned as secretary in I&B Ministry.