New Delhi, Aug 22: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Friday approved a major top-level bureaucratic reshuffle of as many as 14 Secretary-rank IAS officers across various ministries and departments of the Centre.

The appointments, which include several officers on special duty (OSD) who are taking charge of posts to replace incumbent officers who are retiring, will see new faces in top positions of the Central government.

As part of the reshuffle, Atish Chandra, an IAS officer of the 1994 batch of the Bihar cadre, has been elevated to the rank of Special Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

Senior bureaucrat Rajit Punhani has been appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and will replace Ganji Kamala V. Rao, a 1990 batch officer of the MP cadre, who is superannuating. Punhani, a 1991 batch officer of Bihar cadre, is currently the Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Secretary.

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Alka Upadhyaya, a 1990 batch officer of the MP cadre, who is currently the Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, has been shifted to a new role as Secretary of the National Commission for Minorities, under the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Debashree Mukherjee, a 1991 batch officer of the AGMUT cadre, will take over as the new Secretary for the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to fill the post that has fallen vacant with Punhani's transfer. She was previously the Secretary of the Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Vijay Kumar, a 1992 batch officer of the AGMUT cadre and the current Chairman of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways. He will succeed T.K. Ramachandran, a 1991 batch officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, when he retires on September 30.

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V.L. Kantha Rao, a 1992 batch officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been laterally shifted from the Ministry of Mines to the Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation, taking over charge from Mukherjee.

Sukriti Likhi, a 1993 batch Haryana cadre officer and Chairperson of the National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention, is the new OSD in the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence. She will succeed Niten Chandra, a 1990 batch Odisha cadre officer, who superannuates on October 31.

Rannjana Chopra, a 1994 batch Odisha cadre officer, has been appointed as OSD in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. She will take over from Vibhu Nayar, a 1990 batch Tamil Nadu cadre officer, on October 31.

Naresh Pal Gangwar, a 1994 batch Rajasthan cadre officer, has been named Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, replacing Upadhyaya.

Niraj Verma, a 1994 batch officer, will be the new OSD in the Department of Justice, succeeding Raj Kumar Goyal, a 1990 batch AGMUT cadre officer, upon his retirement on August 31.

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Piyush Goyal, of the 1994 batch, has been appointed Secretary of the Ministry of Mines, replacing Kantha Rao.

Sanjay Garg, a 1994 batch Kerala officer, is the new OSD for the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and will take over from Pramod Kumar Tiwari, a 1991 batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre officer, on October 31.

Roli Singh, a 1994 batch Rajasthan officer, has been named Chairperson of the National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention, replacing Likhi.

Trishaljit Sethi, a 1990 batch Indian Postal Service officer, has been appointed as Secretary of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). (IANS)

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