Amit Khare is new I&B Secy; Wadhawan Commerce Secy

New Delhi: In a major senior-level bureaucratic reshuffle, senior IAS officer Amit Khare, who blew the lid off the infamous fodder scam in Bihar, was on Friday appointed Secretary of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, while Atanu Chakraborty, a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, appointed as Secretary of the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM).

According to a DoPT order issued on Friday, Anup Wadhawan and former Delhi Chief Secretary MM Kutty have been named the new Commerce and Petroleum secretaries respectively, while Rina Ray has been appointed Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy.

Khare, a 1985-batch IAS officer, is at present serving in his cadre state Jharkhand as Additional Chief Secretary, will take over the charge from incumbent NK Sinha who superannuates on May 31, while Chakraborty is at present Director General of Hydrocarbons.

The DIPAM, which is an arm of Finance Ministry, is tasked to advise the government in the matters of the financial restructuring of central public sector enterprises and for attracting investment through capital markets. Other key selections include the appointment of Heera Lal Samariya as Labour Secretary, Binoy Kumar as new Steel Secretary, who will take over the charge from Aruna Sharma on completing her term on August 31.

As per the order, Wadhawan will take over as Commerce Secretary on superannuation of Rita Teotia on July 31, while Kutty, who has been appointed as OSD Petroleum Ministry, will succeed incumbent Petroleum Secretary KD Tripathi, who is retiring on June 30. Ray will succeed Anil Swarup as School Education Secretary on his retirement on June 30.

As per the DoPT order issued on Friday, Nilam Sahwney will be the new Social Justice Secretary, while Pushpa Subramanyam will be the new Food Processing Secretary. Subramanyam will succeed JP Meena, who is retiring on August 31.

Deepak Khandekar will be the new Tribal Affairs Secretary in place of incumbent Leena Nair, who is retiring on June 30.

Sailesh, the Registrar General of India, will be Secretary, the Department of Official Language and he will continue to hold additional charge of the post of Registrar General of India, the order said.

The Centre has also temporarily upgraded the post held by 14 IAS officers in this latest reshuffle. Gujarat cadre IAS officer GC Murmu has been appointed Special Secretary in Department of Revenue from Additional Secretary in the same department.

Rabindra Panwar, Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser in Home Ministry, will be Special Secretary and Financial Adviser in the same ministry.

Saraswati Prasad, Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser, Steel Ministry has been appointed Special Secretary & Financial Adviser at the same place. Sumeet Jerath will be Special Secretary & Financial Adviser in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Presently, Jerath is Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser in same ministry.

As per the order, N Baijendra Kumar, the CMD of the National Mineral Development Corporation, has got the rank and pay of secretary.