Eight Secretary-level officers transferred

Comes within hours of major mid-level bureaucratic reshuffle

The Narendra Modi-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved transfers of eight Secretary-level officials, hours after a major reshuffle of 48 mid-level bureaucrats in various Ministries and departments.

Rajiv Takru, a 1979 batch Indian Administrative Service official of Gujarat cadre, has been appointed Secretary, National Commission for Minorities; whereas Aradhana Johri, an IAS official of U.P. cadre, has been made Secretary, Department of Disinvestment in Finance Ministry.

Surjit Kumar Chaudhary, a 1980-batch official, has been made Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals; Satyanarayan Mohanty of the same batch appointed Secretary, Department of Higher Education in the HRD Ministry; and V.K. Subburaj, again a 1980 batch official, has been made Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals.

Kusumjit Sidhu, an IAS official of the 1979 batch has been posted as Secretary, Department of Justice; Kapil Dev Tripathi of the 1980 batch as Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises; and R. Vijaykumar, an IAS official of the 1978 batch, as Secretary, Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region.

I.S. Chahal, a 1989-batch Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry who was earlier an Officer on Special Duty to the former Union Home Minister, Sushilkumar Shinde, was transferred to the Ministry of Women and Child Development. Dilip Kumar, a 1995-batch official, replaced him.

Three more young officials, Hitesh Kumar S. Makwana, Gopal Krishna Dwivedi and Rajit Punhani, were also appointed as Joint Secretaries in the Home Ministry.