9 depts, ministries get new secys after rejig

NEW DELHI: In a series of bureaucratic reshuffles, the Centre on Monday appointed new secretaries to nine departments and ministries.

According to an order issued by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet, former Punjab chief secretary Vini Mahajan was appointed as secretary of the department of drinking water and sanitation. Leena Nandan, who occupied the top post in the department of consumer affairs, was moved to the department of environment, forests and climate change.

Mahajan, a 1987-batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre, was appointed as Punjab chief secretary in 2020 by then Amarinder Singh-led government but stepped down from the post in September this year. She was due to retire in October 2024. Nandan, meanwhile, is a 1987 batch officer of UP cadre. With Nandan moving to the environment ministry, Rohit Kumar Singh, a 1989-batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre, will take over as secretary, department of consumer affairs, ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, the order said.

The committee appointed Sanjay Kumar Singh, a 1987 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, as secretary at ministry of steel. Singh, who was secretary, department of administrative reforms & public grievances and department of pensions & pensioners welfare, will be replaced by V Srinivas, an IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre (1989 batch).

Kerala cadre IAS officer Manoj Joshi (1989 batch) will take over as officer on social duty for now and ascend to the top post in ministry of housing and urban affairs when the current secretary, Durga Shanker Mishra, retires at the end of the month, the order said. Currently, Joshi is a special secretary in the ministry of food processing and industries.

Bharat Lal of Indian Forest Service from 1988 batch of Gujarat cadre was appointed as secretary to the Lokpal as Brij Kumar Agarwal is ready to superannuate on December 31.