India approves sweeping IAS reshuffle, appoints 13 secretaries

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) in New Delhi approved a large‑scale bureaucratic reshuffle, naming 13 senior IAS and IDAS officers as Secretaries to the Government of India and upgrading four more to the Secretary rank. Key appointments include Katikithala Srinivas, IAS, moving to the Ministry of Development of North‑Eastern Region; Vineet Joshi, IAS, shifting to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj; Naresh Pal Gangwar, IAS, taking charge of the Department of Higher Education; T. K. Anil Kumar, IAS, becoming Secretary of School Education & Literacy; Piyush Goyal, IAS, appointed Secretary‑General of the National Human Rights Commission, with Keshav Chandra succeeding him; Archana Varma, IAS, upgraded to head the Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs; D. Thara, IAS, assigned to the Department of Capital Development, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs; and several other senior officers placed in ministries such as Labour & Employment, Urban Development and the National Commission for Minorities. The reshuffle follows retirements and upcoming superannuation of incumbents, signalling a broad re‑allocation of senior bureaucrats across education, welfare, development and human‑rights portfolios.