8 bureaucrats transferred, Vivek Kumar named private secretary to PM Modi

New Delhi: In a bureaucratic reshuffle, the Central government on Friday transferred eight officials, including Vivek Kumar who has been appointed as Private Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kumar, a 2004 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, was earlier a director in the Prime Minister`s Office (PMO). He was appointed in the PMO as Deputy Secretary in 2014. As per Kumar`s LinkedIn account, he holds a BTech degree in chemical engineering from IIT Bombay and has served in diplomatic positions in Russia and Australia.

The orders were issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) after the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) led by Narendra Modi approved the transfers. The order said the appointments will be "with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post, on the co-terminus basis or until further orders, whichever is earlier". 

Amita Prasad, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of 1985 batch, was appointed as Chairperson, Inland Waterways Authority of India, Ministry of Shipping, in the rank of Secretary. Arun Kumar Jha, Indian Economic Service (IES) officer, was transferred to the National Productivity Council, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, as its Director-General.

Jyoti Arora and Rajesh Verma, both 1987 batch IAS officers, were appointed as Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture, respectively. Indevar Pandey has been sent to the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region as Additional Secretary.

Indian Forest Service officer Bharat Lal (1988 batch) was appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, while Shashank Priya, a 1988 batch Indian Revenue Service officer, was named the Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.