Jammu, Sep 1: Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers Umang Narula as Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Vivek Bhardwaj as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
Bhardwaj will take over as Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj from November 1, 2023.
They are among fifteen IAS officers, whose appointments have been approved by the ACC, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Personnel and Training.
Besides, the ACC has also approved in-situ upgradation of three IAS officers to the level of Special Secretary.
As per the notification, Umang Narula, IAS (UT:89), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs vice Gudey Srinivas, IAS (OR:90) upon his appointment as Secretary, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Narula has served as the Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor, Ladakh Union Territory. Prior to it, he also served as Chief Electoral Officer, J&K besides being the Financial Commissioner to J&K Governor; Chief Executive Officer Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) and various central ministries during his deputation to the Centre.
Vivek Bhardwaj, IAS (WB:90), Secretary, Ministry of Mines has been appointed as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Ministry of Panchayati Raj in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India. The officer will take over as Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj vice Sunil Kumar, IAS (UP:87) upon his superannuation on October 31, 2023.
Bhardwaj has served as the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) J&K Health and Medical Education Department and Financial Commissioner (ACS) Finance Department, J&K besides serving on key posts at the centre, including that of Additional Secretary Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
Besides S Krishnan, IAS (TN:89), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology vice Alkesh Kumar Sharma, IAS (KL90) upon his superannuation on August 31, 2023.
Ashish Upadhyaya, IAS (MP:89), Special Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Power has been appointed as Secretary, National Commission for Backward Classes, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment vice Rajeev Ranjan, IAS (MP:89) upon his superannuation on December 31, 2023.
Katikithala Srinivas, IAS (GJ:89), Director, Lai Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs; Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Gudey Srinivas, IAS (OR:90) as Secretary, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Arunish Chawla, IAS (BH:92), presently in the cadre, as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India w.e.f. October 1, 2023.
Chawla will take over as Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers vice S Aparna, IAS (GJ:88) upon her superannuation on October 31, 2023.
Chanchal Kumar, IAS (BH:92), Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Civil Aviation has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region vice Lok Ranjan, IAS (TR:89) upon his appointment as Administrative Member, Central Administrative Tribunal, by modifying the earlier order for posting Chanchal Kumar as Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation vice Rajiv Bansal, IAS (NL:88) upon his superannuation on August 31, 2023.
Neeraj Mittal, IAS (TN:92), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Telecommunications and Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Home Affairs Sriram Taranikanti, IAS (TR:92), as Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India vice Katikithala Srinivas, IAS (GJ:89) upon his appointment as Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs by temporarily upgrading the post to Secretary level.
Shashi Ranjan Kumar, IAS (TR:92), Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Textiles has been appointed as Secretary Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India by temporarily upgrading the post vice Vasudha Mishra, IAS (TG:87) (retired) by curtailing her period of re-employment.
Nidhi Khare, IAS (JH:92), Additional Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has been appointed as Special Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution by temporarily upgrading the post held by her to Special Secretary level in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India as a measure personal to the Officer.
The Officer will join as Officer on Special Duty, Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India w.e.f. December 1, 2023 and take over as Secretary, Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development vice Ajay Tirkey, IAS (MP:87) upon his superannuation on December 31, 2023.
Vumlunmang Vualnam, IAS (MN:92), Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation vice Rajiv Bansal, IAS (NL:88) upon his superannuation on August 31, 2023 and V L Kantha Rao, IAS (MP:92), Additional Secretary, Department of Telecommunications as Secretary, Ministry of Mines vice Vivek Bhardwaj, IAS (WB:90) upon his appointment as Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
Sanjay Rastogi, IAS (OR:91), Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers has been appointed as Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports vice Manoj Sethi, ICAS (1993) by temporarily upgrading the post to Additional Secretary level.
The ACC has also approved in-situ upgradation of three officers to the level of Special Secretary in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India as a measure personal to them by temporarily upgrading the posts held by them.
These officers included Rajendra Kumar, IAS (TN:92), Director General, Employees’ State Insurance Corporation, Ministry of Labour & Employment whose in-situ upgradation has been approved as Director General, Employees’ State Insurance Corporation, Ministry of Labour & Employment in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
In-situ upgradation of Rakesh Ranjan, IAS (MN:92), Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has been approved as Special Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and that of Neelam Shammi Rao, IAS (MP:92), Central Provident Fund Commissioner, Employees’ Provident Fund Organization, Ministry of Labour and Employment as Central Provident Fund Commissioner, Employees’ Provident Fund Organization, Ministry of Labour and Employment in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
