Centre Appoints IAS Nidhi Choudhari as NGMA Director, Akshay Tripathi as Private Secretary to Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram
The Centre appoints IAS Nidhi Choudhari as NGMA Director and IAS Akshay Tripathi as Private Secretary to Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram. Know their careers and new roles.
New Delhi: The Central Government has announced two important appointments involving Indian Administrative Service officers, bringing experienced bureaucrats into key positions at the Centre. While 2012-batch Maharashtra cadre IAS officer Nidhi Choudhari has been appointed Director of the National Gallery of Modern Art under the Ministry of Culture, 2014-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre officer Akshay Tripathi has been named Private Secretary to Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram.
The two appointments, notified on August 7, 2026, involve officers with distinctly different administrative backgrounds. Choudhari has built experience across field administration and senior government assignments before moving to the cultural administration space, while Tripathi’s latest posting marks a shift from district-level governance in Uttar Pradesh to the policy and coordination environment of the Union government.
The appointments are also notable because both officers will be working in positions that demand close coordination, administrative oversight and an understanding of government policy. Choudhari will continue to oversee the functioning of one of the country’s leading institutions dedicated to modern and contemporary art, while Tripathi will work closely with the Union Minister for Tribal Affairs and senior officials of the ministry.
IAS Nidhi Choudhari Gets Continued Role at NGMA
Nidhi Choudhari, a 2012-batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, has been appointed as Director of the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) under the Ministry of Culture.
The order follows her re-designation in the post, with her tenure approved up to August 20, 2029. Her central deputation tenure is effective from August 21, 2024, meaning she will continue in the cultural institution for an extended period.
Choudhari is already serving as Director at NGMA in New Delhi. Her continuation provides administrative stability at an institution that plays an important role in preserving, displaying and promoting modern and contemporary Indian art.
The Director’s position at NGMA involves more than simply overseeing exhibitions. The institution’s work also encompasses administration, collections, cultural programming and the broader responsibility of connecting India’s modern artistic heritage with audiences in the country and abroad.
Who Is IAS Nidhi Choudhari?
Nidhi Choudhari was born on November 5, 1984 and belongs to the 2012 batch of the Indian Administrative Service from the Maharashtra cadre.
Her academic background is rooted in the humanities. She graduated in History from MDS University, Ajmer, and later pursued an M.A. as well as postgraduate studies in English Literature from the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur.
Her educational background in history and literature also gives an interesting dimension to her present role in cultural administration. At NGMA, she is responsible for an institution closely connected with India’s artistic and cultural landscape.
Nidhi Choudhari’s Administrative Experience
Before moving to her present assignment at the Centre, Choudhari held several positions during her career in the Maharashtra administration.
Her service profile includes assignments such as Director, Joint Commissioner, District Collector, Deputy Secretary, Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Collector and Assistant Magistrate. This combination has given her exposure to both field administration and policy-oriented government work.
District-level assignments, in particular, require officers to deal directly with a wide range of administrative challenges. These can include implementation of government programmes, coordination among departments, public grievances and management of local institutions.
Her experience later expanded into senior government positions, giving her a broader understanding of policy execution and institutional administration.
Choudhari is proficient in English, Hindi, Marwari and Marathi, according to her official service profile.
Her continued tenure at NGMA will allow her to build further on her experience in administration while working in the specialised field of cultural and artistic institutions.
NGMA’s Importance Under the Ministry of Culture
The National Gallery of Modern Art is one of India’s important national cultural institutions. It is associated with the preservation and promotion of modern and contemporary Indian art and serves as a major platform for artists, collections, exhibitions and cultural programmes.
The Director’s role therefore carries considerable administrative and institutional responsibility. Managing such an organisation requires coordination across curatorial, cultural, financial and administrative functions.
With Choudhari’s tenure now set to continue until August 2029, the Centre has provided a longer window for continuity in the institution’s leadership.
Akshay Tripathi Appointed Private Secretary to Jual Oram
In the second major appointment, Akshay Tripathi, a 2014-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has been appointed Private Secretary to Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram.
Tripathi will serve in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs at the level of Deputy Secretary. His appointment has been approved for a period of five years.
The Private Secretary’s role is closely linked to the functioning of a Union Minister’s office. It involves handling official coordination, assisting with administrative matters, following up on important files and maintaining communication between the minister’s office, the ministry and various government institutions.
For Tripathi, the posting represents a significant change in the nature of his work.
From Bahraich District Administration to Delhi
Before moving to the Centre, Tripathi was serving as District Magistrate and Collector of Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh.
He assumed charge of the Bahraich assignment on May 25, 2026. As District Magistrate, he was responsible for overseeing the administration of the district and coordinating the implementation of government programmes at the local level.
The District Magistrate’s position is among the most important field assignments in the state civil administration. It requires coordination with multiple departments and agencies while dealing with issues involving public administration, development programmes and local governance.
Tripathi’s move to the Union government will now give him a very different kind of administrative exposure. Instead of running a district administration, he will be working in the policy and coordination ecosystem of a central ministry.
Who Is IAS Akshay Tripathi?
Akshay Tripathi is a 2014-batch direct-recruit IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He entered the civil services after clearing the UPSC Civil Services Examination.
According to his service profile, Tripathi has held around 10 postings across eight different locations during his career.
He holds a B.Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering and is currently placed at Pay Level 12 in the IAS Pay Matrix.
His career so far reflects the kind of varied administrative exposure that is common among officers who move through different field and government assignments. His latest posting takes him from a district administration role into the central policy environment.
Five-Year Central Deputation
Tripathi’s appointment as Private Secretary to Minister Jual Oram has been approved for five years at the Deputy Secretary level.
Working in the office of the Union Tribal Affairs Minister will put him in direct contact with matters concerning tribal communities, government schemes, policy implementation and coordination between the ministry and other departments.
The assignment is also likely to give him valuable exposure to the functioning of the Central Government. For an officer who has spent much of his career in the field administration structure of Uttar Pradesh, this represents an important new phase in his professional journey.
Two Officers, Two Very Different Central Roles
The latest appointments bring two IAS officers into important central assignments, but their responsibilities will be quite different.
Nidhi Choudhari will continue in the cultural sector as Director of NGMA, where her administrative experience will be applied to the functioning of a major national institution dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Her tenure has now been approved until August 2029.
Akshay Tripathi, meanwhile, will move into the office of Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram. His five-year appointment as Private Secretary at the Deputy Secretary level will place him at the intersection of ministerial coordination, policy work and day-to-day administration.
Both appointments reflect the Centre’s continuing use of experienced IAS officers in specialised roles across ministries and national institutions.
For Choudhari, the extension means greater continuity in her ongoing assignment at NGMA. For Tripathi, it marks a fresh chapter after his recent tenure as District Magistrate and Collector of Bahraich.
The two appointments, though different in nature, underline the wide range of responsibilities handled by the IAS at both the state and Union levels. From managing a district and implementing government programmes on the ground to running a national cultural institution or assisting a Union Minister with policy and administrative coordination, the latest postings showcase the varied career paths available within India’s higher civil services.
