Putting an end to ongoing speculation, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended tenures of Union Cabinet Secretary Dr T V Somanathan and Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan by one year each.
Dr TVS will now remain in office until August 30, 2027, while Govind Mohan will serve in his post until August 22, 2027.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the extension for the officers as per an order issued by the Personnel Ministry.
Somanathan, a 1987-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, was appointed to the post for two years in August 2024.
The ACC has also approved a one-year extension in the service of Home Secretary Mohan beyond August 22, 2026, that is up to August 22, 2027, in relaxation of the provisions of Fundamental Rule(FR) 56 (d) and Rule 16 (1A) of the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958, the order said.
The rules have a provision to extend the services of the defence secretary, foreign secretary, home secretary, director of the Intelligence Bureau, secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing, and a few others beyond the retirement age of 60 years.Mohan, a 1989-batch IAS officer of Sikkim cadre, was appointed Home Secretary in August 2024.
In a sudden turn of events right in the middle of the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament and political activity at Jantar Mantar, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on 23rd July effected a major rejig of Union Secretaries, but certain developments indicate a further reshuffle, sources said.
Indications suggest that the previous posting orders were merely a precursor to a larger, more comprehensive top-level bureaucratic reshuffle that is currently on the cards.According to authoritative sources, at least three freshly appointed and laterally shifted Union Secretaries have been directed not to assume their newly assigned portfolios and to continue in their current postings until further orders.
Vineet Joshi (IAS: 1992: MN), Higher Education Secretary, who was laterally shifted to head the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, has been asked to stay put in his current role.Naresh Pal Gangwar (IAS: 1994: RJ), Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, who was named to succeed Vineet Joshi as Secretary Higher Education, has also been instructed to maintain status quo.Sushil Kumar Lohani (IAS: 1995: OR), appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying to succeed Gangwar, has similarly been asked to hold off on taking charge.
In a parallel arrangement highlighting the temporary holding pattern, Rural Development Secretary Rohit Kansal (IAS: 1995: UT) has been given additional charge of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj following the superannuation of Vivek Bharadwaj (IAS: 1990: WB).
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