S Krishnan will be the new Electronics and Information Technology Secretary, while Neeraj Mittal will take charge as the new Telecom Secretary.

These two appointments are among 15 Secretary-level appointments made by the Central Government, through an order issued late on Thursday.

In a surprise move, the Government has appointed Vumlunmang Vualnam, a 1992 batch IAS officer of the Manipur cadre, as new Civil Aviation Secretary, changing its earlier decision to appoint 1992 batch Bihar cadre officer Chanchal Kumar to the post. In fact, Kumar joined the Ministry as Officer on Special Duty a month ago. He has now been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Development of the North-Eastern Region.

Krishnan, a 1989 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of the Tamil Nadu cadre, is currently serving as Chief Secretary in the Industries, Investment, Promotion and Commerce Department, in the State. He will be back on Central deputation after a gap of almost 12 years. His last posting in Central deputation was a foreign posting, and prior to that, he served as Private Secretary (2004-2007) to then Finance Minister P Chidambaram. Krishnan will replace Alkesh Kumar Sharma who superannuated on August 31.

Krishnan will have the company of his home cadre mate, Neeraj Mittal, as Telecom Secretary in the IT and Communication Ministry headed by Ashwini Vaishnow. Mittal is a 1992 batch IAS officer. To date, he has been Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Secretariat, Information Technology and Digital Services Department, Tamil Nadu He will coming on Central deputation after a gap of almost 5 years. His last posting on Central deputation was as Adviser/ Sr Adviser to the Executive Director in a multilateral organisation abroad. Before that. he was Joint Secretary in the Oil Ministry,

Nidhi Khare, 1992 batch IAS officer of the Jharkhand cadre, has been promoted as Special Secretary and will be graded Secretary from December 1. After that, she will join the Rural Development Ministry as Officer on Special Duty and finally as Secretary after December 31, 2023. V. L. Kantha Rao, a 1992 batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has moved to the Mines Ministry as Secretary, while Arunish Chawla, a 1992 batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre, will be the new Pharmaceutical Secretary from November 1.

Umang Narula, a 1989 batch UT cadre officer, will be the new Parliamentary Affairs Secretary, while Vivek Bhardwaj will join the Panchayati Raj Ministry as Secretary from November 1.