Rajesh Kumar Singh appointed as new Defense Secretary, ACC approves 18 transfers across ministries

In a major bureaucratic reshuffle across ministries, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Aug 17 approved 18 appointments at the Secretary level, including that of Rajesh Kumar Singh, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre, who will take over as Defense Secretary.

These appointments, the first big reshuffle in the Modi government’s third term, come with the superannuation of officers in several ministries and days after a new Cabinet Secretary and Union Home Secretary were appointed.

Singh — Secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry — will initially take charge as an Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Defense, before he takes over as Defense Secretary when the incumbent Secretary Giridhar Aramane ends his tenure on October 31 this year.

Singh’s tenure as Defense Secretary has been extended until October 31, 2026, beyond the age of superannuation.

Another senior bureaucrat Punya Salila Srivastava, a 1993-batch AGMUT-cadre IAS officer, will take over as Health Secretary with incumbent Apurva Chandra’s superannuation on September 30 this year. Srivastava, who was Special Secretary, PMO, will take charge as Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare till Chandra’s superannuation.

Deepti Umashankar, a 1993-batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre, will take charge as Secretary to the President on Rajesh Verma’s superannuation on August 31.

Earlier the Establishment Officer and Additional Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training, Umashankar has been posted as Officer on Special Duty to the President until she takes charge as the President’s Secretary.

Vivek Joshi, a 1989-batch Haryana-cadre IAS officer, who was Secretary, of the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, has been appointed the Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training.

K Srinivas, a 1989-batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer, has been posted as Secretary, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Srinivas was Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs, a post that will now be held by Chandra Sekhar Kumar, a 1992-batch officer of the Orissa cadre.

Manoj Govil, who was Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, has been posted as Secretary, the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, and Deepti Gaur Mukherjee, a 1993-batch IAS officer of the MP cadre, will take his place as Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Mukherjee was the CEO of the National Health Authority — the agency that implements the Ayushman Bharat insurance scheme. No one has been named for the top post of the agency.

In the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ashok Kumar Kaluaram Meena will take charge as Secretary, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, on incumbent Vini Mahajan’s superannuation on October 31. Meena was Chairman and Managing Director, Food Corporation of India.