Abhijit Sinha appointed Private Secretary to Upendra Kushwaha

NEW DELHI: IAS officer Abhijit Sinha has been appointed as Private Secretary to Minister of State for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation Upendra Kushwaha.

Earlier, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has declined Kushwaha's choice of another IAS officer Ravinder Kumar for appointment as his private secretary. The name of Kumar, a 2011 batch IAS officer of Sikkim cadre, was recommended by the Minister to the ACC.

The ACC has approved appointment of Sinha, a 2000 batch IAS officer of Nagaland cadre, as PS to Kushwaha with effect from July 1, 2014 for a period of five years or co-terminus basis with the tenure of the Minister, said an order issued on Saturday by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

Kushwaha is a Rashtriya Lok Samata Party leader. The Prime Minister had earlier put on hold the appointment of private secretaries of Home Minister Rajnath Singh and some other union ministers.

In another order, the ACC has approved extension of central deputation tenure of Nandita Chatterjee, a 1980 batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre, as Member Secretary in National Commission for Women for a period of six months, till March 14, 2015.