ACC Appoints IAS Astik Kumar Pandey, IRS Nalin Bilochan and IP&TAFS Officer Harshvardhan Singh Khangarot as Directors in Social Justice, Mines and Steel Ministries
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the induction of three senior civil servants into director-level positions across three important ministries of the Government of India.
The officers — Astik Kumar Pandey of the Indian Administrative Service, Nalin Bilochan of the Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Indirect Taxes), and Harshvardhan Singh Khangarot of the Indian Post and Telecom Accounts and Finance Service — have been posted to the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, the Ministry of Mines, and the Ministry of Steel, respectively. The appointments were formally notified on May 14, 2026, and each carries a tenure of five years.
The move reflects the Union Government’s continued effort to strengthen institutional leadership within key ministries by deploying officers with specialised domain expertise, diverse administrative backgrounds, and demonstrated records of governance.
Astik Kumar Pandey Appointed Director, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment
Astik Kumar Pandey, a 2011-batch IAS officer belonging to the Maharashtra cadre, has been appointed Director in the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment for a period of five years. Born on February 7, 1985, Pandey completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Defence Studies and his Master of Arts degree from the University of Allahabad, one of India’s oldest and most reputed central universities.
At the time of his appointment, Pandey was serving as Joint Commissioner at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), a role he assumed on April 17, 2025. Over the course of his career in the IAS, he has occupied a wide range of consequential positions, including District Collector, Municipal Commissioner, Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Collector, Additional District Magistrate, and Commissioner.
Proficient in English, Hindi, and Marathi, he has earned a strong reputation for administrative acumen and leadership within Maharashtra’s complex governance ecosystem. His transition to the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment brings to that ministry a grounded and multifaceted administrative perspective.
Nalin Bilochan Named Director, Ministry of Mines
Nalin Bilochan, a 2011-batch officer of the Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Indirect Taxes), has been appointed Director in the Ministry of Mines for a five-year tenure commencing after May 19, 2026. Born on March 1, 1981, Bilochan holds a Master of Arts degree and joined the civil services on August 29, 2011.
Prior to his central deputation to the Ministry of Mines, Bilochan accumulated extensive experience in tax intelligence and enforcement. He served in the Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence (DGCEI) and the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), both based in Ahmedabad — postings that equipped him with deep expertise in indirect taxation, regulatory oversight, and enforcement operations. He was promoted to the rank of Joint Commissioner on January 1, 2024.
His transition to the minerals sector is expected to bring rigorous analytical and regulatory capabilities to the ministry at a time when India is accelerating its domestic mining and critical minerals agenda.
Harshvardhan Singh Khangarot Appointed Director, Ministry of Steel
Harshvardhan Singh Khangarot, a 2012-batch officer of the Indian Post and Telecom Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS), has been appointed Director in the Ministry of Steel for a five-year tenure. An alumnus of the storied St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, Khangarot has also pursued advanced academic and executive education programmes at Indira Gandhi National Open University, Harvard University, and Georgetown University — a combination that reflects both strong theoretical grounding and exposure to global public policy frameworks.
His professional career spans the domains of public finance, telecom revenue assurance, and regulatory compliance. He has served as Deputy Controller General of Accounts at the Controller General of Communication Accounts, Director (SEA) in the Department of Telecommunications, and Joint Controller in Dimapur.
His unit’s exemplary performance during his tenure in Dimapur was formally recognised with the Best Field Unit of DoT Award for the year 2022–23. His appointment to the Ministry of Steel is anticipated to bring financial discipline, regulatory expertise, and a reformist outlook to one of India’s most strategically significant industrial sectors.
Strengthening Leadership Across Strategic Ministries
Taken together, these three appointments introduce officers with diverse service backgrounds — spanning the IAS, IRS, and IP&TAFS — into pivotal policy-making and implementation roles within the Government of India. Their combined expertise in public administration, tax enforcement, public finance, and regulatory governance is expected to meaningfully enhance the operational effectiveness and policy coherence of the Departments of Social Justice and Empowerment, Mines, and Steel.
As India pursues ambitious goals across social welfare, natural resource governance, and industrial growth, the calibre and experience of officers appointed to these director-level posts assumes critical importance.
