New Delhi, Oct. 11 (PTI): The Centre today appointed an ayurveda expert as secretary of the ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy (Ayush) department, the first time a non-bureaucrat has been given the post.

In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the government also made senior IAS officer Ajay Kumar Jha the new expenditure secretary. Jha, a 1982-batch officer of the Manipur cadre, will take over from Ashok Lavasa, who will retire on October 31.

Vadiya Rajesh Kotecha, who was appointed special secretary in the Ayush ministry in June, was made its secretary for three years today. The tenure of Kotecha, a former vice-chancellor of Gujarat Ayurveda University in Jamnagar, will include his term as special secretary.

C.K. Mishra, who was the health and AYUSH secretary, will be the new environment secretary, a post held by Jha.

Preeti Sudan, an officer from Andhra Pradesh, has been appointed the new health secretary. The chief secretary of Arunachal Pradesh, Shankuntala Gamlin, will be the secretary of the department of empowerment of persons with disabilities.

Sports secretary Injeti Srinivas has been appointed secretary, corporate affairs. Former Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Rahul Prasad Bhatnagar will take Srinivas's place in the sports ministry.

Alok Shrivastava will be the new secretary of the justice department. He was special secretary in the shipping ministry. Gopal Krishna, a 1983-batch officer of the Bengal cadre, has been appointed secretary of the shipping ministry.

Ravi Kant will be the new secretary of the food and public distribution department. IAS officer K.V. Eapen will be the new secretary in the department of administrative reforms.