22 new Joint Secretaries appointed, four in MHA

New Delhi: Former private secretaries to the President and the then Home Minister LK Advani, Pradeep Gupta and UKS Chauhan, respectively, are among four new Joint Secretaries appointed in Home Ministry as part of mid-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the government on Monday.

Besides them, TVSN Prasad and IPS officer Satyendra Garg are other newly-appointed Joint Secretaries in the Home Ministry. A total of 22 new Joint Secretaries have been appointed by the government in different ministries.

Gupta is a 1985 batch officer of Indian Ordnance Factory Service (IOFS). This is probably first time when an officer from IOFS has been appointed in the Home Ministry.

Chauhan, a 1986 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre, has been appointed for a period upto September 27, 2017, when he completes a maximum of five years central deputation tenure, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training said.

Chauhan, who is at present working as Joint Secretary in Department of Food and Public Distribution, was Private Secretary to Advani, who has also been Deputy Prime Minister, for about a year from June 2003.

Garg, a 1987 batch IPS officer of Union Territories cadre, is presently working as Special Commissioner (legal cell and research) in Delhi Police. He has been appointed to the post for five years, it said.

Prasad is on compulsory wait in the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Manoj Joshi, Joint Secretary in Department of Economic Affairs, has been shifted to Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the same position. Joshi, a 1989 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre, will have tenure till March 8, 2017, when he completes five years central deputation period, the order said.

Abhay Damle, an Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax cadre), has been appointed as JS in Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways. Ravi Agrawal, also from the same service, has been appointed as JS in Department of Disinvestment.

IAS officer I S Chahal, who was put on compulsory wait after he reportedly had a tiff with Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi, has been appointed as Joint Secretary in Ministry of Panchayati Raj.