Major reshuffle in central bureaucracy, Gauba named new Home Secretary

In a high level reshuffle, the government on Wednesday transferred 17 IAS officers, while announcing Urban Development Secretary Rajiv Gauba will be the next Home Secretary after incumbent Rajiv Mehrishi retires on August 30.

Till then, Gauba will serve as an Officer on Special Duty in the Home Ministry.

In another significant change, N.K. Sinha has been appointed as Information and Broadcasting Secretary in place of Ajay Mittal who has been sent to the Department of Personnel and Training. Sinha is currently serving as Culture Secretary.

Gauba, a 1982-batch IAS officer, was originally of the Bihar cadre but transferred to Jharkhand after the state's division. He will be replaced by Durga Shanker Mishra, who was serving as Additional Secretary in the Urban Development Ministry.

Yudhvir Singh Malik, a 1983-batch Haryana cadre officer, has been appointed as Secretary, Road Transport and Highways. Malik, who serving as Chairman of National Highways Authority of India will be replaced by Deepak Kumar, the Director General of Employee's State Insurance Corporation.

Subhash C. Garg, a 1983-batch Rajsthan cadre officer serving as Executive Director at World Bank, has been made Secretary, Economic Affairs while Electronics and Information Technology Secretary Aruna Sundarajan has been appointed as Telecommunications Secretary. She would be replaced by Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Secretary, Food Processing Industries, Avinash K. Srivastava will be the the Consumer Affairs Secretary, swapping places with Jagdish Prasad Meena.

Rajiv Kapoor has been appointed as Secretary, Chemicals and Petrochemicals - a post lying vacant. Sanjeevanee Kutty, currently Secretary, Border Management in the Home Ministry, will be the new Secretary, Ex-Servicemen Welfare in the Defence Ministry.

Arun Kumar Panda, Additional Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, has been appointed as Secretary, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, while Ravi Kant, Additional Secretary, Defence, has been chosen as Secretary in the Ministry of Shipping.

Anand Kumar, Managing Director National Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, has been transferred as Secretary, New and Renewable Energy while Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Director General Foreign Trade, will be the new Power Secretary.

The changes were approved by the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet.

--IANS

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