Big Bureaucratic Reshuffle: ACC Approves 40+ Appointments Including New Secretaries

New Delhi, March 31, 2026 – In a sweeping bureaucratic reshuffle on the last day of the financial year, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment and transfer of over 40 senior officers across various central ministries and departments. The high-level changes, affecting officers from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Economic Service (IES), Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES), and other central services, were announced late Tuesday evening.

The overhaul includes new Secretaries in key portfolios such as Information & Broadcasting, Rural Development, Minority Affairs, and Tourism, alongside multiple Additional Secretary-level appointments and in-situ upgradations.

Top-Level Secretary-Level Appointments

The ACC has moved several senior IAS officers to fill critical vacancies. Among the most significant changes:

Ms. Nivedita Shukla Verma (UP:91) has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, with the additional charge of Secretary, Department of Pensions and Pensioners Welfare. She was previously Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals.
Shri Chanchal Kumar (BH:92) will now serve as Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. He was earlier Secretary of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.
Shri Sanjay Jaju (TG:92) moves from Secretary, Information & Broadcasting to take over as Secretary, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, swapping roles with Shri Chanchal Kumar.
Shri Srivatsa Krishna (KN:94) has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs. He was previously Secretary, Ministry of Tourism.
Shri Rohit Kansal (AGMUT:95) has been named Secretary, Department of Rural Development, effective from March 31, 2026, following the superannuation of Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh.
Shri Narendra Bhooshan (UP:92) has been appointed Secretary, Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development.
Shri Bhuvnesh Kumar (UP:95), serving as CEO of UIDAI, has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Tourism in an in-situ upgradation to Special Secretary rank.

Key Additional Secretary-Level Appointments

Several Joint Secretaries and Directors have been elevated to the Additional Secretary rank, either through new postings or in-situ upgradations:

Shri Puneet Kansal (SK:96) has been appointed Additional Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation via temporary upgradation of a vacant Joint Secretary post.
Shri Faiz Ahmed Kidwai (MP:96) moves from Director General, DGCA to Additional Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training.
Shri Vir Vikram Yadav (OR:96) takes over as Director General, DGCA, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary, replacing Shri Faiz Ahmed Kidwai.
Shri Diwakar Nath Misra (AM:2000) has been shifted from Department of Revenue to Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power.
Ms. Neetu Kumari Prasad (TG:2001) moves from Department of Fisheries to Additional Secretary, Department of Revenue, filling the position vacated by Shri Misra.
Shri Sridhar Chiruvolu (BH:2001) has been promoted from Joint Secretary to Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Shri Lokhande Prashant Sitaram (AGMUT:2001) and Shri Anuj Sharma (IDES:91) have both been appointed as Additional Secretaries in the Department of Home, Ministry of Home Affairs.

Key Moves in Financial and Corporate Services

The reshuffle also saw significant movements in officers from economic and corporate services:

Shri Sanjay Lohiya (AM:94) has been appointed as Special Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, with temporary upgradation of a vacant Joint Secretary post.
Shri Ansuman Pattanaik (IRS T:94), Director General of the Competition Commission of India, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
Ms. Meenaxi Rawat (IES:93) has been named Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, moving from her role as CVO at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd.

Appointments in Education, Agriculture, and MSME Sectors

Shri Abhishek Singh (NL:95) has been appointed Director General, National Testing Agency (NTA) in the rank and pay of Secretary, via temporary upgradation. He was serving as Director General of the National Informatics Centre.
Shri Bharat Harbanslal Khera (HP:96) has been posted as Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and will take over as Secretary of the ministry following the superannuation of Shri Subhas Chandra Lal Das on April 30, 2026.
Shri Gyanendra D. Tripathi (AM:98) has been appointed Additional Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research & Education, and Secretary of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

In-Situ Upgradations

As a personal measure, the ACC also approved in-situ upgradations for several officers to the rank of Additional Secretary and Special Secretary:

Ms. Sarita Chauhan Chand (AGMUT:99) and Shri Pankaj Yadav (HY:2001) have been upgraded to Additional Secretary in their respective departments of Administrative Reforms and Rural Development.
Shri Sanjay Rastogi (OR:91) and Shri Sajjan Singh Yadav (AGMUT:96) have been upgraded to Special Secretary rank in the National Archives and Department of Expenditure, respectively.

The sweeping changes are expected to bring fresh administrative leadership to key central government departments as the new financial year begins.