It is holiday season, with six union secretaries on leave
NEW DELHI : The yearend holiday season has meant at least six union secretaries are on leave making the logistics of assigning and reassigning duties at the highest level in various ministries and departments a difficult task for the Department of Personnel particularly of those in-charge of the government’s fire-fight operations on the fallouts of demonetization. 
Those union secretaries who have currently been on leave include Department of Industry Policy and Promotion (DIPP) secretary and 1982 batch Bihar cadre IAS Ramesh Abhishek, commerce secretary and 1981 batch Gujarat cadre IAS Rita Teaotia, 
textile secretary and 1982 batch IAS Rashmi Verma, secretary in the ministry of Development of North Eastern Region and 1982 batch Bihar cadre IAS Naveen Verma, secretary in the ministry of minority affairs and 1981 batch Manipur cadre IAS Ameising Luikham, and finally home secretary and 1978 batch Rajasthan cadre IAS Rajiv Mehrishi. 
Significantly, both the commerce and industry (DIPP) secretaries are currently on leave which is why heavy industry secretary and 1982 batch Bihar cadre IAS Girish Shankar was assigned additional charge for both the posts. Both commerce secretary and the DIPP secretary sit in the same building, Udyog Bhawan and their political boss and the Minister is the same have the same minister.
Similarly, during Rashmi Verma’s absence on leave between December 24 and January 15, the post of Secretary of the Ministry of Textile will be handled by KK Jalan, a 1982 batch Haryana cadre IAS.
For minority affairs secretary Luikham, the leave is quite short, between December 21 and December 26. The additional charge of the post of the Minority Affairs Secretary is being handled by Seema Bahuguna, a 1983 batch Rajasthan cadre IAS and secretary in the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE).
Then the government has assigned additional charge of the post of secretary of the ministry of development of North Eastern Region to Naini Jayaseelan 1980 batch AGMUT cadre IAS and secretary, Interstate Council Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Union Home Secretary Mehrishi is also on leave from December 24 to January 1. And the additional charge of the Home Secretary’s post is given to Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Secretary BP Sharma
