Bureaucratic reshuffle: 22 new Joint Secretaries appointed

Senior IPS officer Satyendra Garg is among four Joint Secretaries appointed in Union Home Ministry as part of a major bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the government today.

Garg, a 1987 batch IPS officer of union territories cadre, is presently working as Special Commissioner (legal cell and research) in Delhi Police.

He has been appointed to the post for five years, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training said.

Besides him, Pradeep Gupta, U K S Chauhan and T V S N Prasad are other JS in the Home Ministry.

Gupta, an Indian Ordnance Factory Service officer, is Private Secretary to President Pranab Mukherjee. Chauhan is JS in Department of Food and Public Distribution and Prasad in on compulsory wait in the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

A total of 22 new Joint Secretaries have been appointed by the government in different ministries.

Manoj Joshi, Joint Secretary in Department of Economic Affairs, has been shifted to Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the same position. Joshi, a 1989 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre, will have tenure till March 8, 2017, i.E., when he completes five years central deputation period, the order said.

Abhay Damle, an Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) cadre, has been appointed as Joint Secretary in Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways. Ravi Agrawal, also from the same service, has been appointed as JS in Department of Disinvestment.

IAS officer I S Chahal, who was put on compulsory wait after he reportedly had a tiff with Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi, has been appointed as Joint Secretary in Ministry of Panchayati Raj.