In August 2025, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi , approved the appointment of Rajit Punhani, a 1991 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Bihar cadre, as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
- Rajit Punhani, who currently held the position of Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), will succeed Ganji Kamala V. Rao upon his retirement on 31st August 2025.
- The appointment was part of a major top-level bureaucratic reshuffle involving senior IAS and Indian Postal Service (IPoS) officers across various ministries and departments of the Government of India (GoI).
Exam Hints:
- What? Major bureaucratic reshuffle approved by ACC
- New CEO, FSSAI: Rajit Punhani (1991 batch, Bihar cadre IAS)
- New Mines Secretary: Piyush Goyal (1994 batch IAS)
- Other Key Changes: Secretaries appointed in MoPSW, MoFAHD, CVC, BIS, DGFT and PMO.
- Why? Succession planning for superannuating officers and key transfers.
Major Bureaucratic Reshuffles & New Appointments:
Debashree Mukherjee: A 1991 batch IAS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre, Debashree Mukherjee has been appointed as Secretary, MSDE. She succeeds Rajit Punhani in this position.
- She is currently serving as secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWRGR), Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS).
V L Kantha Rao: A 1992 batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh (MP) cadre, V L Kantha Rao has been appointed as Secretary, DoWRGR, MoJS.
- He is currently serving as Secretary, Ministry of Mines (MoM).
Piyush Goyal: A 1994 batch IAS officer of Nagaland cadre, Piyush Goyal has been appointed as Secretary, MoM.
- He is currently serving as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Vijay Kumar: Vijay Kumar, Chairman of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), has been appointed Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW).
- He will take over as Secretary after T. K. Ramachandran’s retirement on September 30, 2025.
Alka Upadhyaya: A 1990 batch IAS officer of the MP cadre, Alka Upadhyaya has been appointed as Secretary, National Commission for Minorities (NCM).
- She is currently serving as Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (MoFAHD).
Naresh Pal Gangwar: A 1994 batch IAS, Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed as Secretary, DAHD, MoFAHD, replacing Alka Upadhyaya.
- He is currently serving as as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Atish Chandra: A 1994 batch IAS, Bihar cadre, has been appointed as Special Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Sukriti Likhi: A 1993 batch IAS, Haryana cadre, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DoESW), Ministry of Defence (MoD).
- He will assume charge as Secretary after the superannuation of Niten Chandra on 31st October 2025.
Roli Singh: A 1994 batch IAS, Rajasthan cadre has been appointed as Chairperson, National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention (NACWC), succeeding Sukriti Likhi.
Trishaljit Sethi: An Indian Postal Service (IPoS) officer, has been appointed as Secretary, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).
Niraj Verma: A 1994 batch IAS, has been appointed as OSD, Department of Justice (DoJ), and will take over as Secretary after the superannuation of Raj Kumar Goyal on 31st August 2025.
Ranjana Chopra: A 1994 batch IAS, Odisha cadre, has been appointed as OSD, Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), and will assume charge as Secretary after the superannuation of Vibhu Nayar on 31st October 2025.
Sanjay Garg: A 1994 batch IAS, Kerala cadre, has been appointed as OSD, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), and will assume charge as Director General (DG) after the superannuation of Pramod Kumar Tiwari on 31st October 2025.
Ajay Bhadoo : A 1999 batch IAS) officer, Gujarat cadre, has been given additional charge as Director General(DG), Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry(MoC&I), for the period 21st April 2025 to 20th October 2025.
- He is currently serving as Additional Secretary in the MoC&I.
About Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI):
FSSAI is a statutory authority established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, functioning under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Established– 2008
