Top-level bureaucratic reshuffle: Neeraj Mittal appointed Petroleum and Natural Gas secretary   

The Centre has carried out a secretary-level reshuffle across various ministries, appointing senior bureaucrat Neeraj Mittal as Petroleum and Natural Gas secretary.

Mittal, a 1992-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, is currently serving as secretary, Department of Telecommunications.

Mittal has been appointed in place of Pankaj Jain, who was earlier appointed as member secretary, Eighth Central Pay Commission, a Personnel Ministry order said.

Amit Agrawal, secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, has been appointed as Telecommunications secretary, in place of Mittal.

Manoj Joshi, secretary, Department of Land Resources, will be Pharmaceuticals secretary in place of Agrawal.

Tourism secretary V Vidyavathi will now be secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the order dated November 20 said.

Senior IAS officer Srivatsa Krishna, currently working in his cadre state Karnataka, will be the new Tourism secretary.

Atish Chandra, special secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.

The officer will take over as secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, after superannuation of Devesh Chaturvedi, on February 28, 2026.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Anju Rathi Rana, currently working as secretary, Department of Legal Affairs, as member secretary, 23rd Law Commission of India.

It has also approved extension in tenure of Rajiv Mani, secretary, Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice, for a period with effect from January 9, 2026 up to July 31, 2028, i.e., till the date of his superannuation.

The ACC has also given additional charge of the post of secretary, Department of Legal Affairs, to Mani.