Sunil Barthwal named new Commerce Secy, Vivek Bhardwaj appointed Mines Secy

Senior IAS officers Sunil Barthwal and Vivek Bharadwaj have been named as the Commerce and Mines Secretary, respectively, as part of a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected on Thursday.

Barthwal, a 1989-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Bihar cadre, is currently Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment.

He has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty in the Department of Commerce with immediate effect, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry said.

Barthwal will take over as the Commerce Secretary succeeding B V R Subrahmanyam, who superannuates on September 30, it said.

Subrahmanyam, a 1987-batch IAS officer of Chhattisgarh cadre, has been appointed as Chairman & Managing Director, India Trade Promotion Organization on contract basis for a period of two years in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India upon his superannuation.

Arti Ahuja, Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals, will be Labour and Employment Secretary in place of Barthwal.

Arun Baroka, Special Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, has been named as the new Chemical and Petro-Chemicals Secretary in place of Ahuja.

Vivek Bhardwaj, a 1990-batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre, will be the new Mines Secretary upon superannuation of Alok Tandon, this month's end.

Mukhmeet Singh Bhatia, Director General, Employees' State Insurance Corporation under Ministry of Labour and Employment, has been appointed as the Minority Affairs Secretary.

Arun Singhal, Chief Executive Officer, Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, will be Secretary, Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers.

Anjali Bhawra, Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities has been appointed as the Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment.

Rajesh Aggarwal, who is Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship at present, will now be Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in place of Bhawra.

Atul Kumar Tiwari, who is working as the Special Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, has been made Skill Development Secretary in place of Aggarwal.

Rajesh Kumar Singh, a 1989-batch IAS officer working in his cadre state Kerala, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying.

Vijoy Kumar Singh, Special Secretary in the Ministry of Textiles, will be Secretary, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare.

Gudey Srinivas, a 1990-batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre, will be the new Parliamentary Affairs Secretary.

Srinivas is at present Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has also approved in-situ upgradation of Rajiv Jalota, a 1988-batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre, in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.

He is currently the chairperson of the Mumbai Port Trust.

The ACC has also approved in-situ upgradation of Upadhyaya, a 1989-batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, as Special Secretary & Financial Adviser in the Power Ministry.

Upadhyaya is at present Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser in the Ministry of Power.