NEW DELHI: Khursheed Ahmed Ganai, an Indian Administrative Service officer of the 1982 batch, has taken over as Joint Secretary (Films) in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

DP Reddy, who was holding the post until now, has proceeded on long leave and is expected to be posted back to his cadre in Punjab. Ganai is from the Jammu and Kashmir cadre.

Ganai was already serving in the same Ministry as Joint Secretary in charge of the print media.

A close confidante of the Abdullah family, Ganai has earlier served as principal secretary to Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah. A mechanical engineer before joining IAS, Ganai had also served as resident commissioner for J&K in Delhi.

Meanwhile, it is learnt by indiantelevision.com that Shankar Mohan, Director of the International Film Festival of India, has sought voluntary retirement and given three months? notice.

Mohan, then Joint Director in the Director of Film Festivals, had been made IFFI Director last year following a high-level report to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni suggesting some changes to improve the status of IFFI and make it of international standard.

It is learnt that the Ministry has wound up the Steering Committee set up in 2010 to monitor the preparations for IFFI, and a core committee is expected to be set up for this purpose.