Major bureaucratic reshuffle likely to happen soon

A major bureaucratic reshuffle is on the cards as several senior officials are set to retire in the next two months and many secretaries, who are holding additional charges, are likely to be relieved of their extra responsibilities. Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba will complete his term on August 21, but it is widely speculated that he may get an extension. Home secretary Ajay Bhalla’s term ends on August 22. Department of Personnel and Training secretary Deepak Khandekar will also retire this month.The office of the Central Vigilance Commissioner has been vacant since June after Sanjay Kothari’s exit. Civil aviation secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola is set to retire on September 15.Higher education secretary Amit Khare, who is also holding additional charge of the information and broadcasting ministry, is due to retire on September 30. The grapevine has it that he may be retained in a significant post.Culture secretary Raghvendra Singh, who’s on a year’s contract after his retirement, will complete this term in September. It will be keenly watched whether he will get another extension because he is steering a key project — the upcoming national museum on the prime ministers of India. Indian Trade Promotion Organisation chairman LC Goyal, who is on an extension, will retire on August 30.Road transport and highways secretary Giridhar Aramane has been holding additional charge of the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade since April-end after Guruprasad Mahapatra got infected with Covid-19 which ultimately claimed his life. Aramane has also been saddled with the chairmanship of the National Highways Authority of India since last month after Sukhbir Singh Sandhu was appointed as Uttarakhand Chief Secretary.Sports secretary Ravi Mittal is holding additional charge of the skill development ministry. The ministry may get a new person at the helm. Similarly, Anjali Bhawra, secretary, department for empowerment of persons with disability, is holding additional charge of the minority affairs ministry. Drinking water and sanitation department as well as the water resources are under Pankaj Kumar. Most recently, science and technology secretary Ashutosh Sharma was handed over additional charge of the earth sciences ministry following the retirement of Madhavan Nair Rajeev last week.Agriculture secretary Sanjay Agarwal has, in the meanwhile, been given additional charge of the cooperation ministry.Changes at the additional secretary and joint secretary levels are also expected with new batches coming in.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3C8vXNK