Bureaucratic reshuffle: Neeraj Mittal moves to petroleum, Amit Agrawal to telecom, Manoj Joshi to pharma

In a major secretary-level bureaucratic reshuffle, the Centre on Thursday changed the top leadership across key ministries, including petroleum, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and agriculture. The realignment brings in officers with sector experience and policy depth at a time when ministries are preparing for the next financial year and dealing with important regulatory work.

The appointments committee of the Cabinet, which is headed by the prime minister, approved the changes, an order from the department of personnel and training (DoPT) said.

Neeraj Mittal, a 1992-batch Tamil Nadu cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, has been appointed secretary in the ministry of petroleum and natural gas. Mittal, who has earlier worked on energy sector reforms as joint secretary in the same ministry, moves from the department of telecommunications, where he oversaw spectrum policy, service quality issues and digital infrastructure expansion. His return to the petroleum sector comes as the government focuses on supply security, investments in exploration and a gradual shift in India’s energy mix.

Amit Agrawal, a 1993-batch Chhattisgarh cadre officer, will take over as the new telecom secretary. Agrawal, an Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, graduate with a strong background in digital governance, earlier headed the Unique Identification Authority of India and served in the electronics and information technology ministry. His move to telecom comes at a time when the sector is handling regulatory changes, security considerations and expanding manufacturing responsibilities.

Manoj Joshi, a 1989-batch Kerala cadre officer who was recently moved from the ministry of housing and urban affairs to the department of land resources, has now been brought in to head the department of pharmaceuticals. His experience in land management, urban affairs and regulatory coordination is seen as relevant for the pharma sector, where the government is pushing manufacturing parks, bulk drug capacity and medical device expansion.

A key upcoming transition in the agriculture ministry is the appointment of Atish Chandra, special secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, as officer on special duty in the department of agriculture and farmers’ welfare. Chandra, a 1994-batch Bihar cadre officer, has previously served in the food and agriculture sectors and handled flagship schemes at the Centre. As per the DoPT order, he will take over as agriculture secretary from 1 February, succeeding Devesh Chaturvedi on his superannuation.

Among other movements, tourism secretary V. Vidyavathi has been shifted to the department of empowerment of persons with disabilities in the ministry of social justice and empowerment. Her post will now be handled by Srivatsa Krishna, also of the 1994 batch, known for his work in technology, investment promotion and state-level economic planning.

Chennai Port Trust chairperson Sunil Paliwal, a 1993-batch Tamil Nadu cadre officer with extensive experience in maritime infrastructure, has been appointed chairman of the Inland Waterways Authority of India, with the post temporarily upgraded to secretary rank.

In the ministry of law and justice, Anju Rathi Rana, secretary in the department of legal affairs, has been appointed member secretary of the 23rd Law Commission of India.

The tenure of Rajiv Mani, secretary of the legislative department, has been extended until July 2028, and he has been entrusted with additional charge of the department of legal affairs once Rana moves to the commission. His continued presence is seen as important as the ministry is currently vetting multiple legislative proposals.