Major Bureaucratic Reshuffle: Key Appointments Announced

Senior bureaucrats Punya Salila Srivastava and Rajesh Kumar Singh have been appointed as health and defence secretaries respectively, as part of a significant top-level bureaucratic reshuffle. Other key appointments include Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Deepti Umashankar, and Vivek Joshi in various departments, along with multiple transitions across several ministries.

In a significant reshuffle at the top echelons of the Indian bureaucracy, the Centre has appointed senior officials Punya Salila Srivastava and Rajesh Kumar Singh as the new health and defence secretaries, respectively.

Srivastava, currently serving as special secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, will transition to the Department of Health and Family Welfare as the officer on special duty (OSD) before taking over as the health secretary when Apurva Chandra retires on September 30. Singh, who now heads the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, will move to the defence ministry as OSD, succeeding Aramane Giridhar on October 31.

This major bureaucratic reshuffle also includes significant appointments across various ministries, including Amardeep Singh Bhatia in commerce, Deepti Umashankar as secretary to the President of India, and Vivek Joshi as secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has sanctioned extensions and new tenures to numerous other senior officials.