Centre Appoints 35 Officers to Joint Secretary Positions Across Key Ministries and Dept.

Current Context: On 13 Sept 2025, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of 35 senior officers to Joint Secretary and equivalent posts across key ministries and departments.

• Among the notable postings, Pawan Kumar Sharma (IAS, MP cadre) was appointed Deputy Election Commissioner, while V. Lalithalakshmi (IAS, WB cadre) became JS in the Vice President’s Secretariat.
• Amit Singla was posted in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ekroop Caur in Expenditure, and Shalini Pandit in Financial Services.
• Tarun Kumar Pithode took charge in the Ministry of Environment, Nidhi Pandey in Atomic Energy, and Meenakshi Jolly as Additional DG, National Museum.
• The reshuffle also covered Home Affairs, NITI Aayog, and Legal Affairs.

Question:

Q.1 On 13 September 2025, who was appointed as the new Deputy Election Commissioner by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)?
a) Ekroop Caur
b) Pawan Kumar Sharma
c) Shalini Pandit
d) V. Lalithalakshmi

Answer: b) Pawan Kumar Sharma, IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, was appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner.