Weeks after 4 key aides shunted out, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav gets new private secretary

The appointment comes after Bhupender Yadav's private secretary and two other staff members were removed earlier in July, raising questions from the Congress.

THE DEPARTMENT of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has appointed IAS officer Prashanth Kumar C H as Private Secretary to Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav. The announcement comes weeks after the Environment Ministry simultaneously removed four key aides of the Union Minister.

Kumar, a 2015 Bihar-cadre officer, has been appointed at the level of Deputy Secretary, according to the DoPT order issued on July 23.

Kumar has been appointed for a period of five years with effect from the date of assumption of the charge of the post or on a co-terminus basis with the minister or till he ceases to function as private secretary, or until further orders, whichever occurs the earliest, the DoPT order stated. Kumar was posted as Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar, as per the Bihar CEO website.

The Indian Express had earlier reported that the minister’s Private Secretary Amar Singh had been shunted out on “administrative grounds”, Additional Private Secretary Shailesh Kumar Singh had been “prematurely repatriated” to his parent cadre, and the appointment of another Additional Private Secretary had been “terminated” in separate orders dated July 3. The appointment of Yadav’s Assistant Private Secretary, Siddharth Yadav, was “terminated” in another order, also dated July 3.

An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More

THE DEPARTMENT of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has appointed IAS officer Prashanth Kumar C H as Private Secretary to Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav. The announcement comes weeks after the Environment Ministry simultaneously removed four key aides of the Union Minister.

Kumar, a 2015 Bihar-cadre officer, has been appointed at the level of Deputy Secretary, according to the DoPT order issued on July 23.

Kumar has been appointed for a period of five years with effect from the date of assumption of the charge of the post or on a co-terminus basis with the minister or till he ceases to function as private secretary, or until further orders, whichever occurs the earliest, the DoPT order stated. Kumar was posted as Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar, as per the Bihar CEO website.

The Indian Express had earlier reported that the minister’s Private Secretary Amar Singh had been shunted out on “administrative grounds”, Additional Private Secretary Shailesh Kumar Singh had been “prematurely repatriated” to his parent cadre, and the appointment of another Additional Private Secretary had been “terminated” in separate orders dated July 3. The appointment of Yadav’s Assistant Private Secretary, Siddharth Yadav, was “terminated” in another order, also dated July 3.