Govind Mohan Gets Additional Charge of Cooperation Secretary as Ashish Bhutani Goes on Leave
The 1989-batch Sikkim cadre IAS officer and Union Home Secretary will hold additional charge of Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation from September 17 to September 26, 2026, during Ashish Kumar Bhutani’s leave.
The Government of India has assigned additional charge of the post of Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation to senior IAS officer Govind Mohan, who is currently serving as Union Home Secretary. The temporary arrangement will remain in force for ten days, from September 17 to September 26, 2026, during the period of leave of Cooperation Secretary Ashish Kumar Bhutani.
The decision has been approved by the competent authority and formally communicated through an order issued by the Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), on September 16, 2026. Govind Mohan, an IAS officer of the 1989 batch and Sikkim cadre, will hold the additional responsibility alongside his existing assignment as Home Secretary.
The order, bearing reference number No. 36/01/2026-EO(SM-I), makes it clear that this is an arrangement for additional charge during the absence of the incumbent Secretary on leave. It does not represent a permanent appointment or a change in Govind Mohan’s existing position as Union Home Secretary.
Govind Mohan to handle Cooperation Ministry for 10 days
According to the official communication, the competent authority has approved the assignment of additional charge of the post of Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation to Shri Govind Mohan, IAS (SK:1989), Home Secretary.
The arrangement begins on September 17, 2026, and will continue through September 26, 2026. It has been necessitated by the absence on leave of Shri Ashish Kumar Bhutani, IAS (AM:1992), the serving Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation.
The order therefore creates a clearly defined temporary administrative arrangement. Once the specified period is over, the additional charge is scheduled to end, subject to any subsequent government order.
Govind Mohan will continue to discharge his responsibilities as Home Secretary while taking on the additional charge of the Cooperation Ministry during this period. The order does not indicate any change in his primary posting.
Who is Govind Mohan?
Govind Mohan is a 1989-batch Indian Administrative Service officer of the Sikkim cadre and currently serves as the Union Home Secretary. His present position places him at the senior-most level of the Union government’s administrative structure.
As Home Secretary, he heads the Ministry of Home Affairs and plays a central administrative role in matters falling within the ministry’s broad portfolio. The Ministry of Home Affairs deals with a wide range of subjects, including internal security, central armed police forces, Union Territories, Centre-State relations and several other areas of national administration.
The temporary additional responsibility at the Ministry of Cooperation adds another major portfolio to his responsibilities for the specified ten-day period.
It is not unusual for the government to entrust an existing Secretary with the additional charge of another ministry when the regular incumbent is temporarily unavailable. Such arrangements help ensure continuity in the functioning of the concerned ministry and avoid any gap at the Secretary level.
Ashish Kumar Bhutani is on leave
The additional-charge arrangement has been necessitated by the absence of Ashish Kumar Bhutani, the incumbent Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation. Bhutani is a 1992-batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre.
The order specifically states that Govind Mohan will hold the additional charge during the period of Bhutani’s absence on leave. It does not provide any further details about the nature or reason for the leave, and no such inference can be drawn from the document.
The arrangement is therefore administrative in nature and linked directly to the temporary absence of the regular Secretary.
What is the Ministry of Cooperation?
The Ministry of Cooperation is a relatively recent addition to the Union government’s ministerial structure. It was created with a focus on strengthening the cooperative sector and providing a dedicated administrative framework for cooperative-related matters.
The ministry deals with policy and administrative issues concerning cooperatives at the national level. Its responsibilities include working on the development and strengthening of cooperative institutions and coordinating with states and other stakeholders on matters within its mandate.
The Secretary is the senior-most civil servant in the ministry and is responsible for providing administrative leadership and coordinating the functioning of the department.
With Bhutani away on leave, Govind Mohan will temporarily take over those responsibilities in addition to his existing duties as Home Secretary.
Temporary additional charge, not a new appointment
One of the key aspects of the September 16 order is the distinction between additional charge and a regular appointment.
The government has not appointed Govind Mohan as the new Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation. Instead, he has been authorised to hold the post additionally for a specified period.
The order clearly identifies both the start and end dates – September 17 to September 26, 2026. This means the arrangement is designed specifically to cover the incumbent’s temporary absence.
Unless a fresh order is issued, Ashish Kumar Bhutani would resume charge after the period of leave, while Govind Mohan would return to handling only his regular responsibilities as Home Secretary.
Order circulated to top government offices
The order has been circulated widely across the Government of India and to senior constitutional and administrative authorities. The recipients include the Cabinet Secretary, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Secretary to the President of India and Secretary to the Vice President of India.
It has also been sent to the Secretaries General of both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha Secretariats, the Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training and the Secretary dealing with Coordination and Public Grievances in the Cabinet Secretariat.
All Union government Secretaries, the Home Minister’s office, Union Ministers’ offices and the Minister of State for Personnel’s office have also been informed.
The communication has additionally been sent to the officer concerned, Chief Secretaries of all states, the Cabinet Secretariat and the Directorate General of Media and Communication of the Press Information Bureau.
The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, senior DoPT officials and the National Informatics Centre have also been included in the circulation list.
Arrangement begins September 17
With the order dated September 16, the temporary administrative arrangement takes effect from the following day. Govind Mohan will therefore hold the additional charge of Cooperation Secretary from September 17 through September 26, 2026.
The development represents a short-term adjustment at the senior-most level of the Union bureaucracy. For the ten-day period, the government will have Govind Mohan overseeing the Ministry of Cooperation while continuing in his regular role as Home Secretary.
The order has been issued under the authority of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and signed by Faiza Kidwai, Secretary, Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and Establishment Officer.
For now, the government communication establishes a straightforward arrangement: with Ashish Kumar Bhutani away on leave, Govind Mohan will take additional charge of the Cooperation Ministry for the specified period, ensuring that the ministry continues to function under the supervision of a Secretary-level officer without interruption.
