Bureaucratic shuffle: V Umashankar to lead road transport, DGCA chief Vikram Dev Dutt moves to coal

In a senior-level bureaucratic reshuffle, the government has appointed V Umashankar as the new secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Umashankar, a 1993 batch IAS officer from the Haryana cadre, has previously served as principal secretary to both former Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar and current Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. He takes over the crucial role of overseeing India's road infrastructure development, a key sector for economic growth and public mobility.

The reshuffle also saw Vikram Dev Dutt, a 1993 batch IAS officer from the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, appointed as the new secretary of the Ministry of Coal. Dutt, who was serving as the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), will now handle one of India's key energy sectors, with coal being critical to the country’s power generation and industrial operations.

Tanmay Kumar, a Rajasthan cadre IAS officer, has been designated as the next secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. Kumar, who is currently special secretary in the same ministry, will succeed Leena Nandan when she retires at the end of December.

In another significant move, Subrata Gupta, a 1990 batch IAS officer from the West Bengal cadre, has been appointed as the new secretary of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, effective December 1. Gupta is set to replace Anita Praveen, who will retire on November 30.

S Gopalakrishnan, currently Director General of the National Productivity Council, has been appointed as chairman of the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), replacing Rakesh Ranjan, who opted for voluntary retirement at the end of October.

Other appointments include Puneet Kumar Goel, who will take charge as secretary of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, and Surendra Kumar Bagde, who has been named Director General of the National Centre for Good Governance. Bagde, a 1993 batch Maharashtra cadre officer, was previously serving as additional secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.