IAS Debashree Mukherjee Gets Additional Housing Ministry Charge as Senior Secretary Goes on Leave
Senior IAS officer Debashree Mukherjee (AGMUT 1991) has been entrusted with additional charge of Secretary Housing and Urban Affairs from May 29 to June 7 2026 reflecting her expanding role in central governance.
In a significant administrative arrangement effective May 29 2026 senior IAS officer Debashree Mukherjee (AGMUT cadre 1991 batch) — currently Secretary Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship — has been assigned additional charge of Secretary Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The arrangement runs until June 7 2026 during the leave period of Srinivas Katikithala (IAS Gujarat cadre 1989 batch) who holds substantive charge of the portfolio. This is the latest in a series of additional charges that Mukherjee one of India's most experienced women civil servants has taken on in recent years. She had previously been assigned additional charge of Secretary Ministry of MSME and also holds charge as Chairperson of the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET). With a career spanning over 35 years and approximately 17.5 years on central deputation Mukherjee brings multi-domain depth to her new additional charge. A postgraduate in English Literature and holder of an M.Sc. in Water and Environmental Management from Loughborough University UK she is widely regarded as a composed and high-impact administrator. Her stewardship of the Housing and Urban Affairs portfolio will cover PMAY (urban housing) smart city programmes and related urban infrastructure policy. The assignment underscores the Centre's practice of entrusting proven senior officers with interim portfolios to ensure seamless governance continuity.
