That as many as six secretaries may superannuate in the next three months may come as a sigh of relief to dozens of senior IAS officers from the 1984 & 1985 batches who are awaiting their turn as Secretary or for Secretary-equivalent posts in Govt of India. Panchayati Raj Secretary Jitendra Shankar Mathur (IAS:1982: MP) and Parliament Affairs Secretary Rajiv Yadav (IAS:1981: AM) will retire in the next 20 days in addition to three others who may retire on February 28, while one more officer will retire on 31 March this year. Those retiring in February are Kewal Kumar Sharma (IAS:1983: UT), Secretary, Dept of Higher Education; Ajay Mittal (IAS:1982: HP), Secretary, DOPT; and Dr. P Parameshwaran Iyer (Retd IAS:1981: UP), Secretary Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation. Iyer completes his two-year contractual appointment in the first week of February this year. Further Union Mines Secretary Arun Kumar (lAS:1983: AM) will be clearing the deck on March 31, 2018.