The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of 20 senior officers as Joint Secretaries and Joint Secretary-equivalent officers in various ministries, departments and organisations of the Government of India. The appointments, announced on July 24, are aimed at strengthening administrative leadership across key sectors, including agriculture, finance, housing, education, social justice, atomic energy and public administration.
Abhijit Phukon Appointed Joint Secretary in Agriculture Department
Among the key appointments, Abhijit Phukon (IFS:2004) has been appointed as Joint Secretary in the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare for a five-year tenure. He succeeds Neha Verma (IFoS:2005), who has been appointed Principal Commissioner (Joint Secretary level) in the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).
Key Appointments Across Ministries
Several other officers have been entrusted with important responsibilities across the Central Government.
Avanish Kumar Mishra (ISS:2000) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances.
Anish Kumar (IRSE:2001) has been posted as Joint Secretary in the Department of Atomic Energy.
Satish Kumar (IRSEE:2002) has been appointed Coal Controller (Joint Secretary level) under the Ministry of Coal.
M. Imkongla Jamir (IAS:2002:KN) has been named Joint Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs.
Sumit Garg (IRSEE:2002) has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Investor Education & Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
Ashutosh Jain (ITS:1993) has been selected as Chairman and Managing Director of the National Handicapped Finance & Development Corporation (NHFDC).
Pravin Laxminarayan Agrawal (IFoS:1994:TR) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare.
Divesh Sehara (IAS:2005:BH) and Saurabh Kumar (IAS:2009:CG) have both been appointed as Joint Secretaries in the Department of Financial Services.
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Gunjan Krishna (IAS:2004:KN) has been posted as Joint Secretary in the Department of Fisheries.
Tejpartap Singh (IRTS:1999) has been appointed Executive Director of the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
Kartikaye Mathur (IA&AS:2004) has been named Adviser (Joint Secretary level) in the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Sudhir Shyam (IES:1999) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Investment & Public Asset Management (DIPAM).
Kuldip Narayan (IAS:2005:BH) has been posted as Adviser (Joint Secretary level) in NITI Aayog.
V. Lalithalakshmi (IAS:2008:WB) has been appointed Professor (Joint Secretary level) at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA).
Satya Pal Kumar (IRS-IT:2005) has been appointed Director (Joint Secretary level) of the Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND).
Sajeesh Kumar N (IRTS:2002) has been posted as Joint Secretary in the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment.
Kumar Ravi Kant Singh Moves to Housing and Urban Affairs
Among the appointments, Kumar Ravi Kant Singh (IAS:2008:UP) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for an overall tenure up to June 1, 2027. His appointment had already been approved separately and now forms part of the latest ACC order covering 20 officers.
Strengthening Leadership Across Central Ministries
The latest appointments span a wide range of ministries and organisations, including Agriculture, Administrative Reforms, Atomic Energy, Coal, Consumer Affairs, Corporate Affairs, Financial Services, Fisheries, Housing and Urban Affairs, Investment and Public Asset Management, Social Justice, NITI Aayog, NDMA, FIU-IND and the Food Corporation of India.
With these postings, the Centre aims to strengthen administrative capacity, improve policy implementation and enhance governance across key departments of the Government of India.