As the union government prepares India to face uncertain monsoon and resultant effect on the economy, it has made major bureaucratic reshuffle at top tier. In the Tuesday’s shifting 16 ministries and departments have new secretaries.

Interestingly, two Gujarat cadre IAS officials are going to occupy important ministries – power and commerce.

A day after the announcement that new and renewable energy secretary Upendra Tripathi (Karnataka cadre)  would get additional charge of power, special secretary in the department of agriculture research Pradeep Kumar Pujari (Gujarat cadre) has been named power secretary. Similarly, Rita A Teaotia, another Gujarat cadre IAS official of the 1981 batch, has been appointed commerce secretary.

Rajeev Nayan Choubey (Tamil Nadu cadre), special secretary in the power ministry, has been named aviation secretary. There was speculation that after incumbent Pradeep Kumar Sinha was appointed cabinet secretary, Choubey would be elevated. A few months ago, Choubey was named additional secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office but his appointment was cancelled due to technical reasons.

Rajeev Kher, who was commerce secretary, will retire in about a month. The Uttar Pradesh cadre official is yet get new posting.

Other changes approved by the appointments committee of the cabinet are: 

CR Viswanath, IAS, (AP cadre of1981 batch), chairman and managing director, Food Corporation of India as Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in the vacancy of K N Desiraju, IAS (Uttarakhand, 1978) (retired).

Vrinda Sarup, IAS (UP, 1981), secretary, department of school education and literacy, ministry of human resource development as secretary, department of food and public distribution, ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution in the vacancy of Sudhir Kumar, IAS(UP, 1978) (retired).

Subhas Chandra Khuntia, IAS (KN:1981),special secretary and financial adviser, ministry of petroleum and natural gas as secretary, department of school education and literacy, ministry of human resource development.

Anuj Kumar Bishnoi, IAS(UP,1981),secretary, ministry of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation as secretary, department of fertilizers vice Jugal Kishore Mohapatra, IAS(OR, 1979).

Shashi Shekhar, IAS, (TN,1981), special secretary, ministry of environment forests and climate change as secretary, ministry of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation.

Sunil Soni, IAS (MH, 1981) secretary, inter state council secretariat under the ministry of home affairs vice Hara Krushna Das, IAS (GJ,1980) (retired).

Anil Kumar Agarwal, IAS (WB, 1981) as secretary, ministry of overseas Indian affairs.

Anup K Pujari, IAS (KN, 1980), secretary, ministry of mines as secretary, ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises vice Madhav Lal, IAS (JK, 1977) on his relinquishing the charge of the post.

Balvender Kumar, IAS (UP, 1981) as secretary, ministry of mines.

Ameising Luikham, IAS (MN,1981) as secretary, department of public enterprises vice Kapil Dev Tripathi, IAS (AM,1980).

Vinay Sheel Oberoi, IAS (AM, 1979) as secretary, department of higher education, ministry of human resource development.

V Somasundaran, IAS (KL, 1979) as secretary, ministry of women and child development.

Devendra Chaudhary, IAS (UP,1981)as secretary, department of administrative reforms & public grievances and department of pensions and pensioners’ welfare, ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions.

Satyanarayan Mohanty, IAS (TG,1980) as secretary general, national human rights commission vice Rajesh Kishore (GJ,1980).