V Vidyavathi Gets Additional Charge of Minority Affairs Secretary During Srivatsa Krishna’s Leave
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the assignment of additional charge of the post of Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs, to senior IAS officer Ms V Vidyavathi. She is currently serving as Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, and will hold the additional responsibility from October 5 to October 18, 2026. The arrangement has been made for the period during which Dr Srivatsa Krishna, IAS (Karnataka: 1994), Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs, will be away on leave.
The decision is part of the Centre’s administrative arrangement to ensure continuity in the functioning of the Ministry of Minority Affairs during the absence of its regular Secretary. According to the order dated September 30, 2026, the competent authority has approved the additional charge for the specified period, with Vidyavathi continuing to serve in her existing position as Secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.
V Vidyavathi to Hold Two Responsibilities
V Vidyavathi is a 1991-batch IAS officer of the Karnataka cadre and is currently Secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan). The official government directory also lists her in that capacity, with the department functioning under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
With the latest administrative arrangement, Vidyavathi will temporarily take on the additional responsibility of the Ministry of Minority Affairs while continuing in her existing role. Her additional charge will begin on October 5 and remain in force through October 18, covering the period of Srivatsa Krishna’s leave. The order does not indicate any permanent change in her existing appointment or a substantive transfer to the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
This distinction is important because an assignment of additional charge is an interim administrative arrangement. It allows the government to ensure that the day-to-day functioning of a ministry continues without interruption when the incumbent Secretary is temporarily unavailable.
Srivatsa Krishna Currently Heads Minority Affairs Ministry
Dr Srivatsa Krishna, a 1994-batch IAS officer of the Karnataka cadre, is currently serving as Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs. Government directories list him as Secretary of the ministry, while his earlier career movements included a stint as Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism.
The current order specifically states that Vidyavathi’s additional charge has been approved during the period of absence on leave of Srivatsa Krishna. The arrangement therefore relates to temporary administrative continuity rather than a change in the regular leadership of the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
What the ACC Order Says
The order was issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and Establishment Officer in New Delhi on September 30, 2026. It states that the competent authority approved the assignment of additional charge of the post of Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs, to Ms V. Vidyavathi, IAS (KN:1991), Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), for the period from October 5 to October 18, 2026.
The communication was circulated to a wide range of senior government offices and constitutional authorities. These include the Cabinet Secretary, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Secretary to the President of India, Secretary to the Vice President, Secretaries General of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha Secretariats, Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training, Cabinet Secretariat, Union Ministers’ offices, Chief Secretaries of States and other concerned offices.
The Director General of the Press Information Bureau and the National Informatics Centre were also among the offices included in the circulation list. The order was signed by Manisha Saxena, Secretary, Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and Establishment Officer, according to the document provided for the administrative arrangement.
A Senior IAS Officer With Central Government Experience
Vidyavathi’s current assignment places her at the senior-most administrative level within the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. The government directory lists her as Secretary of the department, providing official contact and office details for her current position.
Her temporary additional responsibility at the Ministry of Minority Affairs means that she will oversee the ministry’s administrative functioning during the specified leave period of its regular Secretary. The arrangement is limited to the dates mentioned in the ACC order, and the document does not announce a permanent appointment to the Minority Affairs Ministry.
The Ministry of Minority Affairs is a Union government ministry responsible for matters concerning the welfare, development and empowerment of notified minority communities. Its work involves policy formulation, implementation of welfare programmes and coordination of various initiatives related to minority affairs. During any temporary absence of the Secretary, an additional-charge arrangement helps maintain administrative decision-making and continuity across the ministry’s ongoing work.
Additional Charge to Continue Until October 18
Under the approved arrangement, Vidyavathi will assume the additional responsibility on October 5, 2026, and the arrangement will remain in place until October 18, 2026. The order links the duration directly to the leave period of Srivatsa Krishna.
The move is therefore a temporary administrative measure rather than a reshuffle involving the permanent replacement of the incumbent Secretary. Once the specified period ends, the regular administrative arrangement would ordinarily revert to the existing structure, subject to any subsequent government orders.
For now, the key development is that a senior Karnataka-cadre IAS officer, already holding Secretary-level responsibility at the Centre, will temporarily take charge of another important ministry. The arrangement is expected to ensure that the Ministry of Minority Affairs continues to function without any administrative gap during the Secretary’s absence.
