Among those, who are demitting offices of public service include Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan and several of the Chief Secretaries of states.

According to the data from the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), the retiring officers serving in the central government and across various states have been integral to Indian governance and policy-making over the past three decades and thus this prompts major recalibrations and new appointments across the governments, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, as the state cadre will witness the maximum transition.

Top Administrative Positions

Given the situation emerging this year, many top administrative roles like that of Cabinet Secretary, Chief Secretaries of important states and central government Secretaries will hang their boots.

Current Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan is due to complete his tenure in August this year, though an extension is possible, following the precedent set by former Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, who held the post for over five years.

Experts note that the departure of so many senior officers will require both central and state governments to make major adjustments, as these positions involve crucial decision-making responsibilities. While some officers may receive extensions, most will retire upon reaching the age of 60.

Many among the states are going to be impacted the most due to retirement and they include Uttar Pradesh (31 officers), Punjab (14 officers), Haryana (13 officers), Madhya Pradesh (15 officers), Odisha (12 officers), Tamil Nadu (13 officers) and AGMUT (29 officers).

The retiring officers, who are holding top positions, include more than 20 IAS officers currently serving as Chief Secretary, Secretary in the central government, Joint Secretary, or Additional Secretary. Their retirement will create openings for new appointments.

Tenures Coming To An End

Notable among them are TV Somanathan (Cabinet Secretary, Government of India), Dharmendra (Chief Secretary, Delhi), Anu Garg (Chief Secretary, Odisha), Anurag Rastogi (Chief Secretary, Haryana), Donald P Wahlang (Chief Secretary, Meghalaya), Kamran Rizvi (Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries), Abhilaksh Likhi (Secretary, Fisheries Department), TK Ramachandran (Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways) and Alka Tiwari (Secretary, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes).

Others include Deepak Kumar (Agriculture Production Commissioner, UP), Devesh Chaturvedi (Additional Chief Secretary, UP), Archana Agarwal (Additional Chief Secretary, UP), Amit Ghosh (Additional Chief Secretary, Health, UP), Anurag Agarwal (Additional Chief Secretary, Punjab), Sarvjeet Singh (Special Chief Secretary, Sports, Punjab), Sudhir Rajpal (Additional Chief Secretary, Haryana), Arun Kumar Gupta (Principal Secretary to CM, Haryana), and  Maninder Kaur Dwivedi (Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture).  

The Uttar Pradesh cadre will witness the most significant transitions, with approximately 30-34 IAS officers retiring in 2026. These retirements will require considerable changes with promotions to ensure administrative continuity.