The Centre has carried out a large reshuffle over the weekend to appoint 23 secretary-level officials, Hindustan Times reported on Monday. This came as seven secretaries are set to retire this month, while several other positions remain vacant.

Indian Administrative Services officer Amit Khare, who retains his position as higher education secretary in the human resource development ministry, has been given the charge of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting secretary. Meanwhile, the I&B ministry’s current Secretary Ravi Mittal has been moved to the youth affairs and sports ministry.

Khare has headed the information and broadcasting ministry in the past. His earlier position as the secretary of school education and literacy, has been given to Anita Karwal.

Karwal is a Gujarat cadre bureaucrat from the batch of 1988 and was also the chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education. Another officer from the Gujarat cadre, RP Gupta, was appointed the secretary of environment ministry, according to The Hindu.

Other notable postings include Arvind Kumar Sharma’s appointment as the secretary of micro, small and medium enterprises ministry. Sharma is considered one of the most influential bureaucrats in the Prime Minister’s Office and has worked with Narendra Modi since October 2001, who was then Gujarat’s chief minister.

Tarun Bajaj, the additional secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, will take charge as the economic affairs secretary in place of Atanu Chakraborty, who is retiring this month.

Rajesh Bhushan, secretary of the rural development ministry, has been moved to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as Officer on Special Duty. He will take charge after Preeti Sudan. Sudan is scheduled to retire this month but has been given an extension in view of the coronavirus pandemic. However, Bhushan is likely to take over from her in July.

Nagendra Nath Sinha will be the new secretary of the rural development department. At present, he is the secretary of the department of border management in the home ministry.

Vice Chairman of the Delhi Development Authority Tarun Kapoor has been made the petroleum and natural gas secretary. Meanwhile, Aramane Giridhar, an Andhra Pradesh cadre officer of the 1988 batch, who was additional secretary at the Cabinet Secretariat, has been elevated as secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Pradip Kumar Tripathi, special secretary and establishment officer in the department of personnel and training, will be secretary of the steel ministry. He is a Jammu and Kashmir cadre officer of the 1987 batch.