New Delhi: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved a series of senior-level bureaucratic appointments, resulting in a major reshuffle across several ministries and departments of the Government of India. Manoj Joshi, IAS (KL:89), Secretary, Land Resources, has been appointed Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, replacing Amit Agrawal, IAS (CG:93), who will now serve as Secretary, Department of Telecommunications. V. Vidyavathi, IAS (KN:91), Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, has been appointed Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.
Neeraj Mittal, IAS (TN:92), Secretary, Telecommunications, has been shifted as Secretary, Petroleum and Natural Gas, and will take charge after the superannuation of Pankaj Jain, IAS (AM:90), who has been named Member Secretary of the Eighth Central Pay Commission. The government has also appointed Sunil Paliwal, IAS (TN:93), Chairperson, Chennai Port Trust, as Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India. In another key move, Srivatsa Krishna, IAS (KN:94), has been appointed Secretary, Tourism, succeeding Vidyavathi. Additionally, Atish Chandra, IAS (BH:94), Special Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, has been designated as OSD, Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, effective February 1, 2026. These appointments reflect the government’s continued efforts to strengthen administrative leadership across critical sectors such as telecommunications, petroleum, social justice, tourism, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals.
