New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS): In a major administrative rejig on Monday, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment or premature repatriations of 44 officers at Joint Secretary or Joint Secretary equivalent level.

According to a notification issued by the cabinet panel, 39 officers from Indian Administrative Service and other all India services such as the Indian Revenue Services, and the Indian Forest Service, serving as Joint Secretaries in different Ministries have been transferred while five officers have been prematurely repatriated.

Abhay Kumar Singh, a Bihar cadre 2004 batch IAS officer, has been appointed as Joint Secretary in the newly-created Ministry of Cooperation for a combined tenure of seven years from the date of assumption of the charge of the post, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

The Ministry was formed on July 6 to provide a separate administrative, legal and policy framework for strengthening the cooperative movement in the country and Union Home Minister Amit Shah is heading it.

The ACC has made premature repatriation of five Joint Secretary level officers of various all India services from the Ministry of Women & Child Development, the Department of Youth Affairs, and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to their parent cadre while 2001 batch IAS officer from Maharashtra cadre, Dr Nipun Vinayak serving as Joint Secretary in Department of Health and Family Welfare has been sent back to his parent cadre.