Disinvestment, Defence Get New Secys In Major Reshuffle

The government today effected a comprehensive bureaucratic reshuffle involving 16 secretary-level appointments and two additional secretary-level postings. The Railway Board also got a new chairman.

The interesting point about the new appointments was the elevation of Ajay Prasad, officer on special duty to the Deputy Prime Minister, as defence secretary, by superseding 11 colleagues in his batch.

Keeping Prasad company in the supersession game was Northern Railway General Manager R K Singh, who became the chairman of the Railway Board, surging ahead of 16 officers senior to him.

S Dasrathi, member (mechanical) of the Railway Board, put in his papers immediately after Singh