ACC Hands SSC Chairman IAS S Gopalakrishnan an Additional Charge as Head of the National Recruitment Agency
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has formally approved a key temporary administrative arrangement involving senior bureaucrat S. Gopalakrishnan, a 1991-batch IAS officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre. Gopalakrishnan, who currently serves as the Chairman of the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), has been entrusted with additional charge as Chairman of the National Recruitment Agency (NRA).
This dual-role assignment will remain in force until the government appoints a regular incumbent to the NRA or until new orders supersede the present directive.
Purpose Behind the Dual Leadership Assignment
By allocating this additional responsibility to an experienced officer like Gopalakrishnan, the central government aims to ensure seamless coordination between two of India’s most crucial recruitment bodies.
The National Recruitment Agency—responsible for conducting the Common Eligibility Test (CET) for non-gazetted central government posts—plays a pivotal role in modernizing and centralizing the recruitment architecture. Assigning the SSC Chairman to lead the NRA on an interim basis helps maintain operational continuity, reduce administrative delays, and support the ongoing transition toward a unified recruitment framework.
Professional Background of IAS S. Gopalakrishnan
S. Gopalakrishnan is widely regarded as an accomplished administrator with extensive experience in personnel management and central staffing operations.
Key details about his background include:
Cadre & Batch: IAS, 1991 batch, Tamil Nadu cadre
Current Role: Chairman, Staff Selection Commission (SSC), New Delhi
Academic Qualifications: B.Tech from IIT Madras, one of India’s premier engineering institutes
Languages Known: English, Hindi, and Tamil
Date of Birth: March 10, 1969
Throughout his career, he has served in several strategically important roles in New Delhi, where he built a reputation for strong administrative acumen, procedural clarity, and efficient personnel management.
Government’s Official Stand on the Appointment
The ACC notification issued on 21 November 2025 emphasized that effective leadership across recruitment bodies is essential for ensuring transparency, reliability, and efficiency in the hiring process for central government posts.
By placing both SSC and NRA under the stewardship of S. Gopalakrishnan, the government expects cohesive functioning, improved inter-agency coordination, and uninterrupted progress on key recruitment reforms.
