The Central Government on Friday approved a fresh round of senior bureaucratic appointments, with the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) clearing 19 appointments at the Joint Secretary and Joint Secretary-equivalent level.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on July 24, the appointments cover several important ministries and departments, including finance, agriculture, consumer affairs, housing and urban affairs, atomic energy, disaster management, social justice and investment management.
The reshuffle is aimed at strengthening administrative leadership across key government departments.
Key Joint Secretary Appointments
Several senior officers have been assigned important responsibilities in different ministries.
Among the major appointments:
- Sudhir Shyam (IES) has been appointed as Joint Secretary in the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM).
- M. Imkongla Jamir (IAS) will serve as Joint Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs.
- Abhijit Phukon (IES) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
- Anish Kumar (IRSE) has been posted as Joint Secretary in the Department of Atomic Energy.
- Kumar Ravi Kant Singh (IAS) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Financial Services Department Gets Two New Joint Secretaries
The Department of Financial Services (DFS) has received two new Joint Secretaries.
The ACC appointed:
- Divesh Sehara (IAS)
- Saurabh Kumar (IAS)
Both officers will take charge of separate Joint Secretary positions within the department.
Appointments in Other Ministries
The government also approved appointments across several other departments.
These include:
- Avanish Kumar Mishra as Joint Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances
- Gunjan Krishna as Joint Secretary, Department of Fisheries
- Pravin Laxminarayan Agrawal as Joint Secretary, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare
- Sajeesh Kumar N as Joint Secretary, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment
These appointments are expected to strengthen policy implementation and administrative coordination in their respective ministries.
Joint Secretary-Equivalent Posts Filled
The ACC also approved appointments to several Joint Secretary-equivalent positions.
The new appointments include:
- Satish Kumar as Coal Controller under the Ministry of Coal
- Kartikaye Mathur as Adviser at the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
- Neha Verma as Principal Commissioner at the Delhi Development Authority (DDA)
- Sumit Garg as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA)
Reshuffle Follows Recent Administrative Changes
The latest appointments come a day after another major bureaucratic reshuffle by the Centre.
Earlier, the government exchanged the responsibilities of Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi and Naresh Pal Gangwar, who was serving as Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
Following the reshuffle, Vineet Joshi was appointed Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, replacing Vivek Bhardwaj, whose tenure is scheduled to end on July 31.
The administrative changes were announced shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government would take strict action against those responsible for examination paper leaks and strengthen accountability within the system.