Aramane Giridhar new Def Secy; Sanjay Malhotra is Revenue Secy

New Delhi: Road Transport and Highways Secretary Aramane Giridhar has been named the new defence secretary as part of a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre on Wednesday.

Giridhar, a 1988 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as an Officer on Special Duty in the Department of Defence.

He will take over as Defence Secretary after the retirement of Ajay Kumar on October 31, 2022, a Personnel Ministry order said.

Alka Upadhyaya, chairperson of the National Highways Authority of India, will be the new Road and Transport Secretary in place of Giridhar.

Financial Services Secretary Sanjay Malhotra will be the new Revenue Secretary.

He has been appointed as an Officer on Special Duty in the Department of Revenue.

The officer will take over as the Revenue Secretary after Tarun Bajaj completes his term on November 30, 2022.

Vivek Joshi, Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs will be the new Secretary, Department of Financial Services in place of Malhotra.

Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, Additional Secretary in the Home Ministry, will be the new Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner in place of Joshi.

As many as 16 secretaries have been appointed in different central government departments in Wednesday's reshuffle.

Rural Development Secretary Nagendra Nath Sinha has been named the new Steel Secretary.

Sinha has been appointed as the Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Steel with effect from December 1, 2022. He will take over as Secretary in the Ministry of Steel, after the retirement of Sanjay Kumar Singh on December 31, 2022.

Shailesh Kumar Singh, Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, will be the new Rural Development Secretary from December 1.

Singh has been appointed as the OSD in the Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development, the order said.

Amrit Lal Meena, who is currently Special Secretary (Logistics), Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade, will be the new Coal Secretary.

Meena, who has been appointed as the OSD in the Coal Ministry, will take over as the Secretary after the retirement of Anil Kumar Jain on October 31.