Major bureaucratic reshuffle: Vumlunmang Vualnam new civil aviation secy; Neeraj Mittal in telecom

The Centre has appointed senior IAS officers Vumlunmang Vualnam and Neeraj Mittal as new secretaries in the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Department of Telecommunications respectively in a major secretary-level bureaucratic reshuffle, a government order stated.

According to the order issued on Thursday, the prime minister-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved 1992-batch Manipur cadre IAS officer Vualnam, currently serving as an additional secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, as the new civil aviation secretary. He will replace Rajiv Bansal, who retired on August 31.

The ACC has modified its previous order which had appointed Bihar-cadre IAS officer Chanchal Kumar, who is serving as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, to the post, it stated.

According to the latest order, Kumar has been appointed as secretary in the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, where he will replace Tripura-cadre 1989-batch IAS officer Lok Ranjan upon his appointment as an administrative member in the Central Administrative Tribunal.

Mittal, a 1992-batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS officer who is currently in the cadre, has been appointed as the secretary in the Department of Telecommunications, according to the order.

Tamil Nadu Cadre 1989-batch IAS officer S Krishnan will be the new secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, while his batchmate from the Uttarakhand-cadre Umang Narula will be the new secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, it stated.

Narula will replace 1990-batch IAS officer from Odisha cadre Gudey Srinivas, who has been appointed as the secretary in the National Commission for Scheduled Castes in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the order said.

"Ashish Upadhyaya, IAS (MP:89), Special Secretary and Financial Advisor, Ministry of Power 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," it said.

According to the order, Gujarat-cadre 1989-batch IAS officer Katikithala Srinivas, currently serving as the director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, will be the new secretary in the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Sriram Taranikanti, 1992-batch IAS officer of the Tripura cadre, currently serving as an additional secretary and financial adviser in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will replace Srinivas as the director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in the rank and pay of a Union secretary.

"Vivek Bhardwaj, IAS (WB:90), Secretary, Ministry of Mines as Officer on Special Duty, 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," the order further stated.

Tripura-cadre 1992-batch IAS officer Shashi Ranjan Kumar, serving as an additional secretary and financial adviser in the Ministry of Textiles, has been appointed secretary in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in the rank and pay of secretary to the Government of India by temporarily upgrading the post, replacing Telangana-cadre IAS officer Vasudha Mishra (retired) by curtailing her period of re-employment, as per the order.

"Arunish Chawla, IAS (BH:92), presently in the cadre, as Officer on Special Duty, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India with effect from October 01, 2023. The officer 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," it said.

"Nidhi Khare, IAS (JH:92), Additional Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution 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 order said.

According to the order, the officer will join as an OSD in the Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development, in the rank and pay of secretary to the Government of India with effect from December 01 and take over as secretary of the department when 1987-batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer Ajay Tirkey will superannuate on December 31.

"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," the order said.

Odisha cadre 1991-batch IAS officer Sanjay Rastogi has been appointed as the additional secretary and financial adviser in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in place of Manoj Sethi, ICAS (1993), by temporarily upgrading the post to additional secretary level, it said.

The ACC also approved in-situ upgradation of three 1992-batch IAS officers --Tamil Nadu cadre Rajendra Kumar, Manipur cadre Rakesh Ranjan and Madhya Pradesh cadre Neelam Shammi Rao -- 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, the order stated.