No full-time secretary in 3 government departments; 3 officers appointed as private secretaries to ministers

THERE is no full-time secretary in three union government departments — the department of administrative reforms and public grievances, the department of corporate affairs and department of justice, as the government on Saturday gave additional charge of the posts to secretaries of other ministries. Then, three more officers — one each from IAS, P and T Finance and Accounts Service, and Indian Revenue Service (C and CE) -- have been appointed as private secretaries to ministers. Here are the details of the latest appointments:

1. Naveen Verma, 1982 batch Bihar cadre IAS and secretary in the ministry of development of North Eastern region, was on Saturday given the additional charge of the post of secretary in the department of administrative reforms and public grievances and department of pension and pensioners’ welfare with effect from October 1, 2017 until further orders. 

2. Subhas Chandra Garg, 1983 batch Rajasthan cadre IAS and secretary in the department of economic affairs, was given additional charge of the post of secretary in the corporate affairs with effect from October 1, 2017, until further orders. 

3. Dr G Narayana Raju, secretary, legislative department, was given additional charge of the post of secretary, department of justice, with effect from October 1, 2017, until further orders. 

Meanwhile, three officers have been brought in as private secretaries. B Purushartha, 2002 batch Punjab cadre IAS, has been appointed as the private secretary to Hardeep Puri, the minister of state (independent charge) for the ministry of housing and urban affairs. Then, Ms Lopamudra Mohanty, a 1999 batch Indian P and T Finance and Accounts Service officer, has been appointed as private secretary to minister of state for agriculture and farmers’ welfare Ms Krishna Raj in the department of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries. Also, Abhinav Gupta, a 2004 batch Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) officer, has been appointed as private secretary to MOS in corporate affairs and law and justice PP Chaudhary at the level of deputy secretary. 

In another development, Rajender Kumar, a 1997 batch Indian Ordnance Factory Service officer, has been appointed as director in the ministry of tribal affairs.