NEW DELHI :The Centre on Thursday announced a wide-ranging reshuffle of senior bureaucrats, with the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) clearing a series of Secretary-level appointments, transfers and in-situ promotions across several key ministries and government departments.
Among the most significant changes, Naresh Pal Gangwar, a 1994-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed Secretary in the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education. Gangwar, who currently heads the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, will replace Vineet Joshi, who has been shifted as Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Joshi will assume his new assignment following the retirement of Vivek Bhardwaj on July 31.
Gangwar takes charge of the Higher Education Department at a time when the education sector remains under intense scrutiny in the wake of the controversy surrounding the NEET examination paper leak. Although the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), an autonomous body functioning under the Ministry of Education, the episode has brought renewed attention to the ministry's oversight of the country's examination ecosystem.
In another important transfer, K. Srinivas, a 1989-batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer and the current Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has been appointed Secretary of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
The government has also elevated TK Anil Kumar, presently Additional Secretary in the Department of Rural Development, as Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education. His appointment comes at a crucial time as the Centre continues to push reforms in school education and literacy programmes.
Among other senior-level appointments, Piyush Goyal, a 1994-batch IAS officer of the Nagaland cadre and Secretary in the Ministry of Mines, has been appointed Secretary General of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), carrying the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
Sushil Kumar Lohani, a 1995-batch Odisha cadre IAS officer serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, has been named Officer on Special Duty in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. He will subsequently take over as Secretary of the department after Gangwar assumes charge of the Higher Education Department.
The ACC has also approved in-situ promotions for four senior IAS officers by temporarily upgrading their existing posts to the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India. Archana Varma, a 1995-batch AGMUT cadre officer and Mission Director of the National Water Mission under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, has been granted Secretary rank. She is slated to become Secretary of the Department of Official Language in the Ministry of Home Affairs after the retirement of Ansuli Arya on September 30, 2026.
Similarly, B. Rajender, a 1995-batch Bihar cadre IAS officer, has been appointed Director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) with Secretary rank through the temporary upgradation of the post. He will succeed Sriram Taranikanti, who is due to retire on July 31.
Chandra Bhushan Kumar, a 1995-batch AGMUT cadre officer, has been appointed Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Employment. He will take over from Vandana Gurnani upon her retirement at the end of July.
The reshuffle also brings changes in infrastructure-related ministries. Keshav Chandra, another 1995-batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer, has been appointed Secretary in the Ministry of Mines, succeeding Piyush Goyal.
Within the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, D. Thara, a 1995-batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer and Additional Secretary, has been elevated as Secretary of the Department of Capital Development after the government upgraded a vacant Secretary-level post. Satendra Singh, a 1995-batch Jharkhand cadre IAS officer currently serving as Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, has been appointed Secretary of the Department of Urban Development in the same ministry.
The ACC has also approved the appointment of Suchindra Misra, a 1992-batch Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS) officer and Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce, as Secretary of the National Commission for Minorities with the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
In addition to these appointments, the government has approved personal in-situ upgradations to the rank of Special Secretary or Secretary for four senior officers by temporarily upgrading their existing posts. The beneficiaries include Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs; Santosh Kumar Yadav, Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India, whose post has been restored to Secretary level; Rajeev Singh Thakur, Adviser at NITI Aayog; and Dilip Kumar, Director General (Training) in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
The latest round of appointments reflects the government's effort to strengthen leadership across strategic ministries and ensure a smooth transition in several departments ahead of the retirement of incumbent Secretaries over the coming months.
