New Delhi, Dec 27 (IANS): The Centre on Monday undertook a major bureaucratic reshuffle, with Additional Secretary, Financial Services, in the Finance Ministry Pankaj Jain being appointed the new Secretary, Petroleum and Natural Gas.

According to the notification of the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet, former Punjab Chief Secretary, Vini Mahajan will be the new Secretary, Drinking Water and Sanitation in the Jal Shakti Ministry while Sanjay Kumar Singh will be the new Secretary, Steel. At present he is Secretary, Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances and Pensions and Pensioners, and the post will now be held by V. Srinivas, currently Special Secretary in the Department.

Secretary, Consumer Affairs, Leena Nandan, will be the Secretary, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Special Secretary, Culture, Rohit Kumar Singh, will replace her.

Special Secretary, Food Processing Industries, Manoj Joshi has been made as Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs and will take over as the Secretary after the superannuation of present Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra on December 31.

Special Secretary, Expenditure, in the Finance Ministry, Rajeev Ranjan, has been made Secretary of the National Commission for Backward Classes in the rank and pay of Secretary at the Centre.

Additional Secretary, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Bharat Lal will be the Secretary to the Lokpal after retired IAS officer Brij Kumar Agarwal completes his term of contract on December 31, 2021. Lal will hold the post till his superannuation on January 31, 2022 and thereafter on contract basis for a period of one year beyond, on the usual terms and conditions applicable to re-employed Central government officers.

The ACC has also approved in-situ upgradation of eight officers to the level of Special Secretary in the rank and pay of Secretary at the Centre.