In a major administrative overhaul, the Centre has effected a significant bureaucratic reshuffle, appointing 48 civil servants to posts at the joint secretary or equivalent level across multiple ministries. The new appointments span key departments including agriculture, civil aviation, commerce, defence, and home affairs, indicating a broad-based administrative restructuring. Among the notable moves, IAS officer Hardik Satishchandra Shah has been named Private Secretary to the Prime Minister at the joint secretary rank, underscoring his growing proximity to the PM’s core team. Officials familiar with the developments note that this is one of two major reshuffles expected this year, designed to shape the Modi government’s bureaucratic architecture leading up to 2029. The extensive placements reflect the Centre’s efforts to strengthen governance continuity and policy execution, with several career officers now entrusted with critical national portfolios. Bureaucratic circles view this exercise as a precursor to deeper alignment ahead of the government’s next term planning cycle.

Hardik Satishchandra Shah has been appointed as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister (Joint Secretary level), Prime Minister's Office, on a co-terminus basis. He is a 2010 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre.

Ms Kajal has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT), for a combined tenure of seven years upto April 12, 2028. She is a 2008 batch IAS officer of UP cadre.

Sumeet Kumar Jarangal has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT), for a combined tenure of five years upto April 2, 2028. He is a 2009 batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre.

Rohan Chand Thakur has been appointed as CEO (JS level), National Land Monetization Corporation (NLMC), under the Department of Public Enterprises, for a combined tenure of five years upto February 27, 2030. He is a 2009 batch IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre.

Shankar Lal Kumawat has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Revenue, for a combined tenure of five years upto March 2, 2030. He is a 2010 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre.

Udit Agrawal has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, for a combined tenure of five years upto January 31, 2030. He is a 2008 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre.

Sanjay Chilwarwar has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, for an overall tenure upto the date of his superannuation on August 31, 2029. He is a 1997 batch IRSSE officer.

Saravanan M has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Space, for a tenure of five years, by temporarily downgrading a vacant post of AS level in the Department to JS level. He is a 2002 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre.

K Balaji has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, for a combined tenure of five years upto April 27, 2027. He is a 2010 batch IAS officer of UP cadre.

Ms. Alaknanda Dayal has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, for a tenure of five years. by utilising the sanctioned post of Commissioner of Payments at the level of Joint Secretary under the Ministry. He is a 2000 batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre.

Suvasish Das has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, for a combined tenure of five years upto Jume 6, 2026. He is a 2005 batch IFoS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre.

Ms Pratima Satish Kumar Verma has been appointed as Commissioner (JS level), National Education Society for Tribal Affairs (NESTS), under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, for a tenure of five years. She is a 2002 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre.

Ms Rashi Sharma has been appointed as Executive Director (Admin) (JS level), National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), under the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, for a tenure of five years. She is a 2003 batch IPoS officer.

Venkatesapathy S has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, for an overall tenure of five years upto May 1, 2028. He is a 2009 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre.

Praveen P Nair has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, for a combined tenure of five years upto July 10, 2029. He is a 2010 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre.

Pankaj Kumar has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power, for a tenure of five years. He is a 2002 batch IAS officer of UP cadre.

Kulveer Singh Yadav has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Mines, for a tenure of five years. He is a 2002 batch IOFS officer.

Mohammad Afzal has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs, for an overall tenure of five years upto October 3, 2027. He is a 1995 batch CPES officer.

Anupam Kumar has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, for a tenure of five years. He is a 2003 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre.

Pradeep Singh has been appointed as Adviser (JS level), NITI Aayog, for a combined tenure of seven years upto February 9, 2027. He is a 2005 batch IFoS officer of Gujarat cadre.

Ms Shanmuga Priya Mishra has been appointed as Joint Director (JS level), Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), under the Department of Personnel & Training, for a combined period of five years upto February 26, 2029, by temporarily upgrading the post held by officer from DS/Dir level to JS level in LBSNAA for an initial period of two years. She is a 2010 batch IAS officer of MP cadre.

Ganesh Shankar Mishra has been appointed as Joint Director (JS level), Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), under the Department of Personnel & Training, for a combined tenure of five years upto February 26, 2029. He is a 2010 batch IAS officer of MP cadre.

Harmit Singh Pahuja has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), for a combined tenure of seven years upto November 17, 2026, by temporarily upgrading the post held by officer from OS/Dir level to JS level. He is a 2010 batch IAS of Manipur cadre.

Rakesh Rathi has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs for a tenure of five years. He is a 2002 batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre.

Karma R Bonpo has been appointed as Director of Census Operations (DCO)/ Director of Citizen Registration (DCR) (JS level), Sikkim, O/o Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India under Ministry of Home Affairs, for a combined period upto November 25, 2027 by temporarily upgrading the post held by the officer from DS/Director level to JS level. He is a 2010 batch IAS officer of Sikkim cadre.

S Tejaswi Naik has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, for a combined period of five years upto December 14, 2027. He is a 2009 batch IAS officer of MP cadre.

Shakil Alam has been appointed as Addl CPFC (Hq), Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), under the Ministry of Labour & Employment, for a tenure of five years. He is a 2001 batch IES officer.

Parikipandla Narahari has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Land Resources, for a tenure of five years. He is a 2001 batch IAS officer of MP cadre.

Ramesha G has been appointed as Incharge (JS level), Central Agency Section, Department of Legal Affairs, for an overall tenure of five years up to May 29, 2027. He is a 2005 batch IRS (IT) officer.

Ms Bandana Preyashi has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Fertilizers, for a tenure of five years. She is a 2003 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre.

Venkata Nagi Reddy Kovvuri has been appointed as Executive Director (General), Food Corporation of India (FCI), under the Department of Food & PD, for a tenure upto the date of superannuation on September 30, 2029. He is a 1998 batch IDES officer.

Muthukumar Alagumuthu has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare, for a combined tenure of five years upto December 4, 2027. He is a 2009 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre.

Prabhakar has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare, for a tenure of five years. He is a 2007 batch IAS officer of Sikkim cadre.

Mahatme Sandeep Namdeo has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, for a combined tenure of five years upto May 9, 2026. He is a 2010 batch IAS officer of Tripura cadre.

Satyendra Singh has been appointed as MD, National Horticulture Board (NHB). He is a 1996 batch IFoS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre.  

Ms Sakshi Mittal has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, for a combined tenure of five years upto May 19, 2029. She is a 2010 batch IAS officer of UT cadre.

Ms Laya Madduri has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs for a combined tenure of five years upto April 3, 2030 by temporarily upgrading the post held by the officer from DS/Dir level to JS level in the Department for an initial period of two years. She is a 2010 batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre.

Vikas Singh has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, for a combined tenure of five years upto April 27, 2026, by temporarily upgrading the post held by the officer from DS/Director level in the Department to JS level.  He is a 2010 batch IAS officer of Tripura cadre.

Girish Chandrashekhar Hosur has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities beyond April 27, 2026 i.e. after the tenure of the present incumbent, for a tenure upto the date of superannuation on October 31, 2027, by temporarily upgrading a vacant post of DS/Director level in the Department to JS level. He is a 1996 batch IFoS officer of HP cadre.

Chaudhari Uday Gaurishankar has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, for a combined tenure of five years upto June 23, 2026, by temporarily downgrading a vacant post of AS in the Ministry to JS level. He is a 2010 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre.

Ms Preeti Meena has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Defence, for a combined tenure of five years upto February 15, 2028. She is a 2010 batch IAS officer of Telangana cadre.

Shailesh Kumar Chourasia has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Defence, for a tenure of five years. He is a 2007 batch IAS officer of Manipur cadre.

Vinod Kumar has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Defence, for a tenure of five years. He is a 1998 batch IRSME officer.

Ajeet Kumar Srivastava has been appointed as Additional FA & Joint Secretary, Department of Defence, for an overall tenure of five years upto April 4, 2029. He is a 1999 batch IRAS officer.

Vipul Aggarwal has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of North Eastern Region for an overall tenure of seven years upto March 15, 2027. He is a 2001 batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre. 

Kapil Meena has been appointed as MD, National Horticulture Board (NHB), Department of Agriculture & FW, for a combined tenure of five years upto January 17, 2027. He is a 2010 batch IAS officer of Sikkim cadre.

G Venkatesh has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, for a tenure of five years. He is a 1997 batch ICoAS officer.

Ms Priyanka Das has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, for a combined tenure of five years upto March 5, 2030. She is a 2009 batch IAS officer of MP cadre.

Jawahar Packirisamy has been appointed as Chairman (JS level), Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA), Department of Commerce, for a tenure of five years. He is a 2007 batch IAS officer of UT cadre.

The Competent Authority has approved assignment of additional charge of the post of Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to Ashok Kumar Kaluaram Meena, Secretary Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti from April 15 to April 24 during the period of absence on leave of Tanmay Kumar. He is a 1993 batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre.

Three IAS officers have been given new postings in Karnataka. Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey has been appointed as PS, Health & Family Welfare, while Manoj Kumar Meena will join as Secretary, Revenue (Disaster Management, Stamps and Registration and Social Security) and Mrs Salma K Fahim is now Secretary, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood. 

17 officers have been shortlisted for promotion to the grade of Deputy Managing Director (DMD), SBI, in Top Executive Grade Special Scale II. Interactions will be held on 16 April 2026, 8:00 AM at Corporate Centre, Mumbai.  Shortlisted officers include: Amit Verma; Bhuvaneshwari A; Debasish Mishra; Dipak Kumar De; Geethanjali A K; Govind Narayan Goyal; Hemant Karaulia; Manju Sharma; Niraj Kumar Panda; Om Narayan Sharma; Prakash Chand Saboo; Ratna Teja Dinakara Akella; Sahadevan Radhakrishnan; Sandeep Bhatnagar; Shailesh Raghavan Unnithan; Sukhvinder Kaur Ganesh and Varinder Khanna.

Ghalib Ahmed Jillani, ED, RITES, is in the race for the post of Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR).

 IIT Madras tops NIRF 2025 with 417 patents, 100+ startups, and new Schools of Sustainability/Innovation. Predictions: Expansion in 5 post-2014 IITs for 6,500 students (Budget 2025-26).

B Ravichandran and M J Joseph have been empanelled for appointment as IEMs. Both are from Madras Fertilizers Limited (MFL).

Bharat Kumar Jog and Ajay Kumar Lal have been empanelled for appointment as IEMs. Both are from Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL).

Rajan S Katoch has been empanelled for appointment as IEM. He is a 1979 batch IAS officer and retired as Secy, D/o Heavy Industry. 

Rajendra Kalla has been empanelled for appointment as IEM. He is a 1982 batch CES officer and retired as ADG (CPWD).

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has advertised two posts of Finance Analysts for NHM Finance Division. Applications must reach latest by April 14, 2026.

Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) has advertised the post of General Manager on deputation basis. Applications must reach latest by May 6, 2026. 

Last date to apply for Planning Officer (LS), Dte of Planning & Coordination, Deptt of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence on deputation basis has been extended. The revised date is April 30, 2026.

Last date to apply for Regional Officer, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Mumbai has been extended. The revised date is April 30, 2026. 

Post of Chief Executive Officer, Automotive Skills Development Council has been advertised. Applications must reach latest by May April 28, 2026. 

The Government of Romania is offering a 20-month scholarship opportunity for Indian students for the academic year 2026-27 under the Cultural Exchange framework. Applications must reach latest by May 15, 2026. 

Ms Rashmi Gautam, formerly posted as Chief Passenger Traffic Manager (CPTM), Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), has been granted an extension in her deputation tenure with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) as Group General Manager at Corporate Office for the fourth year, which is up to March 22, 2027. She is an Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer.

Rahul Pachori, who is presently serving as Director in Department of School Education & Literacy under Central Staffing Scheme, has been appointed on deputation as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary in Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) at the level of Director for a period up to January 14, 2028. He is an Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE) officer.

Arun Kumar, who is presently serving in Modern Coach Factory (MCF), has been transferred to Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and posted as Director/Stores. He is an Indian Railway Stores Service (IRSS) officer.

BN Bhaskar, who is presently serving in East Central Railway (ECR), has been appointed as Chief Project Director/Bridge Works (CPD/BW) on the Railway itself. He is an Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) officer.

Dilip Kumar has been appointed as Chief Vigilance Officer, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). He is a 2002 batch IRSME officer.

Ashok Kumar Dalal, Sr Accounts Officer, O/o CGA Delhi, has been shifted to CBIC, Rohtak.

Three IAS officers have been assigned new roles in W Bengal. Unice Rishin Ismail has been posted as Senior Special Secretary, Health and family Welfare, while Naveen Kumar Chandra will join as Joint Secretary, Food & Supplies and P Promoth was made Joint Secretary, MS & ME & T Department.

Ms Ambica Anand has been appointed as Director in the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC) under the Department of Expenditure on 'lateral shift' basis on co-terminus basis with 8th CPC which is further extendable upto October 13, 2030 (i.e. balance period out of admissible tenure of five years under Central Staffing Scheme). She is a 2009 batch ISS officer.

Ms Smitha Mol M S has been appointed as Deputy Secretary in the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC) under the Department of Expenditure on 'lateral shift' basis on co-terminus basis with 8th CPC which is further extendable upto April 14, 2029 (i.e. balance period out of admissible tenure of four years under Central Staffing Scheme). She is a 2013 batch IAS officer of Tripura cadre.

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the names of three Judicial Officers for appointment as Judges of the Karnataka High Court. They are: Ms. Rajeshwari Narayana Hegde, Ms. Kedambadi Ganesh Shanthi, and Mahadevappa Brungesh.

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the names of four Additional Judges for appointment as Permanent Judges of the Telangana High Court. They are: Ms. Justice Yara Renuka, Justice Nandikonda Narsing Rao, Ms Justice E. Tirumala Devi, and Justice B.R. Madhusudhan Rao.

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the name of Ms. Justice Manjusha Ajay Deshpande, Additional Judge, for appointment as a Permanent Judge of the Bombay High Court.

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the names of two Advocates for appointment as Judges of the Kerala High Court. They are: Ms. Preeta Aravindan Krishnamma and Ms. Liz Mathew Anthraper.

Dheeraj Kumar has been appointed as ADC to Governor in Haryana with additional charge of SP, Lokayukta. He is a 2013 batch IPS officer of Haryana cadre.

They are Devendra Chaplot, ex-Meta/Thinking Machines Lab, leads pre-training efforts (large-scale datasets for text/images/code), Aman Madaan, who oversees the “model factory” (infrastructure, data pipelines, training workflows and Aditya Gupta, handles post-training and reinforcement learning (model refinement).

SpaceX executive Michael Nicolls took a larger guiding role. The move follows co-founder exits and internal assessments highlighting weaknesses versus OpenAI/Anthropic/Google.

Chaitanya Jayantilal Pandya has been appointed as Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of Eureka Industries Limited.

Ravi Janarthanan has been appointed as Additional Non-Executive Non-Independent Director of Magellanic Cloud Limited.

Likha Togu has been appointed as Additional Independent Director of RITES Limited.

Abdul Basith Shaikh has been appointed as Additional Director of Paradeep Parivahan Limited.

A S Lakshminarayanan has retired as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Tata Communications Limited.

Ms Lakshmy Chandrasekaran has ceased to hold office as Independent Director of DCB Bank Limited on April 13, 2026.

Ms Mamta has resigned from the position of Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of Eureka Industries Limited.

Madhu Devi has resigned from the position of Non-Executive Independent Director of Eureka Industries Limited. Reply to a

BJP and West  Bengal election

The 2026 West Bengal Assembly election has reached a fever pitch, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown between the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Election Timeline

The Election Commission has scheduled the polls in two major phases:

·         Phase 1: 23 April 2026 (152 constituencies)

·         Phase 2: 29 April 2026 (142 constituencies)

·         Result Day: 4 May 2026

The BJP’s Strategy and Key Players

The BJP, led in the state by Suvendu Adhikari, is pushing a "Double Engine Government" narrative, promising that alignment with the central government will accelerate development. A major focus of their campaign is North Bengal, where the party has promised to establish premier institutions like IITs, AIIMS, and IIMs.

Key battlegrounds include Bhabanipur, where the BJP has fielded Suvendu Adhikari directly against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Core Campaign Issues

1.      Identity and Citizenship: The implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls are central flashpoints.

2.     Law and Order: The BJP frequently cites incidents of domestic violence and safety concerns to challenge the TMC’s governance.

3.      Anti-Incumbency: After 15 years of TMC rule, the BJP is attempting to tap into voter fatigue regarding state employment exams and local administration.

Aditi Garg

Pay parity with Government school teachers

The appellant sought information from the Directorate of Education about the pay scale PGT teachers working with Universal Public School such as whether there is Pay parity with Government school teachers, percentage of Basic Pay paid as DA etc. During the hearing before the CIC, the Appellant restricted his arguments to the fact that the documents provided to him are not attested or certified by the PIO. The CIC directed the Directorate of Education to provide certified copies of relevant documents free of charge to the Appellant.

Comments

A citizen can seek information about a private organization from the public authority which holds the information. The certified copy of the document can be used as evidence in a court of law.

Citation: Khagesh Chandra Joshi v. Directorate of Education in File No: CIC/DIRED/A/2024/108070; Date of Decision : 25.08.2025

Dr Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is a RTI Consultant currently working with IIM Vishakhapatnam. She has co-authored the books PIO’s Guide to RTI and Right to Information – Law and Practice. Her weekly article is being published since 2008 on this site. She offers consultancy on RTI matters and third party audit to individuals / organisations. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation at the link https://www.rtifoundationofindia.com

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