New Delhi: Senior IAS officer Mandeep K Bhandari has been appointed chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) as part of a major bureaucratic reshuffle announced by the Centre on Friday.

A 2001-batch Indian Administrative Service officer of the AGMUT cadre, Bhandari is currently serving as Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. His appointment was cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, according to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training.

Bhandari's appointment comes months after the CBSE leadership underwent changes amid the controversy surrounding the board's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.

Senior IAS officer Lokhande Prashant Sitaram had been holding additional charge as CBSE chairperson.

Sitaram was appointed an Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry on July 2 while retaining the additional responsibility of heading the CBSE.

He had taken charge as the board's chief on June 2 after his predecessor was moved out amid the OSM row.

Other key appointments

The reshuffle has also brought changes across several Union government departments.

  • Vipin Kumar, currently Chairman of the Airports Authority of India, has been appointed Additional Secretary in the Department of Rural Development.
  • Srikant Nagulapalli, Director General of Hydrocarbons, will move to the Department of Expenditure as Additional Secretary.
  • V Ponnuraj, a 2000-batch IAS officer of the Karnataka cadre, will succeed him as Director General of Hydrocarbons.
  • Sarita Chauhan Chand, currently Additional Secretary in the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, has been appointed Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Steel.
  • Senior bureaucrat Anand Singh has been appointed Additional Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs. 
  • P Hemalatha will take charge as Additional Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training.
  • Piyush Singh has been appointed Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Power.
  • Ankita Mishra Bundela, currently Additional Secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, will move to the Department of Higher Education in the same rank.
  • Manisha Sensarma has been appointed Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.