In a sweeping administrative reshuffle, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the transfer and appointment of seven senior IAS officers across crucial ministries, including Telecommunications, Petroleum, Pharmaceuticals, Tourism, Social Justice, Ports & Shipping, and Agriculture.
The high-level appointments, announced on Thursday, November 20, significantly reposition leadership at the Secretary level in the central government.
Manoj Joshi, a 1989-batch Kerala cadre IAS officer currently serving as Secretary, Department of Land Resources (Ministry of Rural Development), has been appointed Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, replacing Amit Agrawal (Chhattisgarh: 1993).
V Vidyavathi, a 1991-batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer and the outgoing Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, has been appointed Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
Neeraj Mittal (Tamil Nadu cadre, 1992 batch), who previously led the Department of Telecommunications, will now serve as Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, replacing Pankaj Jain (AM:1990).
Pankaj Jain has been appointed Member Secretary, Eighth Central Pay Commission.
Former Pharmaceuticals Secretary Amit Agrawal has been transferred to the Department of Telecommunications, taking charge from Neeraj Mittal. Agrawal belongs to the 1993 batch Chhattisgarh cadre.
Sunil Paliwal, currently Chairperson of the Chennai Port Trust, has been appointed Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The post has been temporarily upgraded to Secretary level for this appointment.
Srivatsa Krishna, a 1994-batch IAS officer from Karnataka, will assume charge as Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, succeeding Vidyavathi.
Atish Chandra (Bihar cadre, 1994 batch), currently Special Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), has been appointed Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare in the rank of Secretary.
He will formally take over as Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare on February 28, 2026, following the superannuation of Devesh Chaturvedi (UP: 1989).
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