Significant developments in the Indian Administrative Service reflect both leadership realignments and personal transitions within the bureaucracy.
Senior officer Ms. Alka Upadhyaya briefly held dual secretary-level positions at the central level, while junior IAS officer Garima Narula has been transferred to the Rajasthan cadre following her marriage—underscoring how governance and personal circumstances often intersect in service assignments.
Alka Upadhyaya Briefly Heads Fisheries in Addition to Animal Husbandry
Ms. Alka Upadhyaya, a 1990-batch IAS officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre, currently serves as Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. For a short duration, she also took on the additional responsibility as Secretary, Department of Fisheries—both portfolios falling under allied agricultural and livestock sectors.
Her brief dual charge was aimed at maintaining administrative continuity and synergy across these connected domains. A former Chairperson of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Upadhyaya’s stewardship illustrates the Centre’s inclination toward streamlined policy integration. Her name has now been delisted from the Department of Fisheries, but the temporary arrangement signals a pragmatic approach to top-level portfolio management.
Garima Narula Transferred to Rajasthan After Marriage
Separately, 2023-batch IAS officer Garima Narula—initially allotted to the Telangana cadre—has been officially transferred to Rajasthan following her marriage to fellow IAS officer Rajat Yadav (also 2023 batch), currently posted in Rajasthan.
The inter-cadre transfer has been approved by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under provisions for All India Services, designed to accommodate marital adjustments without disrupting administrative efficiency. Narula is expected to join her new posting in Rajasthan soon.
