Major Bureaucratic Reshuffle: Six IAS officers get key Secretary-level posts
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, August 11, 2026: The Central Government has approved a series of key Secretary-level appointments and transfers across the Central government ministries and departments, partially modifying its earlier order dated July 23, 2026.
Under the changes:
- Pallavi Jain Govil, IAS (MP:94), presently Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs, has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, replacing Deepti Gaur Mukerjee.
- Deepti Gaur Mukerjee, IAS (MP:93), Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, has been appointed Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, succeeding Vineet Joshi.
- Sushil Kumar Lohani, IAS (OR:95), Officer on Special Duty in the Cabinet Secretariat, has been appointed Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, in the rank and pay of Secretary. The post has been temporarily upgraded for the purpose. He will succeed Sunil Paliwal.
- V. L. Kantha Rao, IAS (MP:92), Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, has been appointed Officer on Special Duty, Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs. He will take over as Secretary, Department of Official Language, following the superannuation of Ansuli Arya on September 30, 2026.
- Archana Varma, IAS (AM:95), Mission Director, National Water Mission, has been appointed Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, succeeding V. L. Kantha Rao.
- Sunil Paliwal, IAS (TN:93), Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India, has been appointed Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, succeeding Pallavi Jain Govil.
The appointments are part of a broader reshuffle at the senior bureaucratic level across key Central government departments.