ACC Approves Curtailment of Arunkumar Khembhavi IAS’ Central Staffing Tenure as Drinking Water & Sanitation Director
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the curtailment of the Central Staffing Scheme tenure of 2011-batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre IAS officer Arunkumar Khembhavi, who is serving as Director in the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal to curtail the Central Staffing Scheme tenure of senior IAS officer Arunkumar Khembhavi, currently serving as Director in the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The decision has been formally communicated through an Office Memorandum issued by the Office of the Establishment Officer, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India.
Khembhavi is a 2011-batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, and his present assignment at the Centre falls under the Central Staffing Scheme. The latest memorandum specifically records the ACC’s approval for curtailment of his tenure in the post of Director in the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation.
The order is identified as No. 9/13/2021-EO (MM-I) and was issued from Kartavya Bhawan-3, New Delhi, in September 2026. While the document confirms that the ACC has approved the curtailment, it does not specify in the memorandum the precise date on which his tenure will end or the reason behind the decision.
ACC clears proposal for early curtailment
The proposal for curtailment originated from the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation. The DoPT memorandum refers to the department’s Office Memorandum No. A-19011/5/2021-Admin (21935), dated August 21, 2026, which had sought the necessary action regarding Khembhavi’s Central Staffing Scheme tenure.
Following consideration of the proposal, the ACC approved the curtailment. The DoPT has now formally communicated that decision to the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation, thereby placing the administrative approval on record.
The wording of the order is brief but significant. It states that the ACC has approved the proposal for “curtailment of tenure under Central Staffing Scheme” in respect of Shri Arunkumar Khembhavi, IAS (AM:2011), Director, Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation.
This means the officer’s current central assignment is being brought to an end before the tenure that would otherwise have continued under the Central Staffing Scheme. However, the memorandum itself does not provide details about what prompted the proposal or what assignment Khembhavi may take up after leaving the central post.
Who is Arunkumar Khembhavi?
Arunkumar Khembhavi is a member of the 2011 batch of the Indian Administrative Service and belongs to the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. Officers of his batch have now moved into senior administrative responsibilities at both the state and central levels, and Khembhavi has served in the Government of India under the Central Staffing Scheme.
His current assignment is with the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation, an important department dealing with national programmes and policy matters relating to drinking water supply and sanitation.
The department functions under the Ministry of Jal Shakti and is associated with major government initiatives concerning access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. Its work includes policy formulation, programme implementation and coordination with state governments and other stakeholders on issues connected with rural drinking water and sanitation.
As a Director, Khembhavi has been part of the department’s senior administrative structure. The Director-level position is an important link between policy leadership and the operational implementation of government programmes.
What does the Central Staffing Scheme mean?
The Central Staffing Scheme provides a framework through which officers from the All India Services and other participating services can serve in senior positions in the Government of India for specified periods. Such appointments allow the Centre to draw on administrative experience from different states and cadres while giving officers exposure to national-level policymaking and programme management.
Central deputation also creates a flow of officers between state and Union government assignments. An IAS officer serving under the scheme remains a member of the respective state cadre while working in an approved central position for the sanctioned period.
In Khembhavi’s case, the latest DoPT memorandum concerns the curtailment of that central tenure, rather than a fresh appointment. The distinction is important because the document does not announce another central posting for him.
No reason for curtailment mentioned in memorandum
One point stands out in the September 2026 communication – the order does not disclose why the curtailment has been approved.
Government orders concerning tenure changes can arise from a variety of administrative circumstances, but it would not be appropriate to attribute a specific reason to this case without an official statement or separate government communication. The memorandum simply records that the ACC has approved the proposal submitted by the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation.
Similarly, the document does not state whether Khembhavi is being repatriated to his parent cadre immediately, whether he has been assigned another position, or whether a separate order covering his next posting will follow.
Those details, if applicable, would have to come through a subsequent order from the competent authority.
Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation formally informed
The DoPT communication has been addressed to the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation through its Secretary, Shri Ashok K.K. Meena. The department is located at Pt. Deendayal Antyodaya Bhawan in the CGO Complex, New Delhi.
Copies of the memorandum have also been marked to several key government offices and officials. These include the Prime Minister’s Office, the Cabinet Secretariat, the office of the Minister of State for Personnel and the Secretary (Personnel).
The communication has also been circulated internally within the establishment machinery of the DoPT, including the Establishment Officer’s office, relevant desks and the concerned panel desk. A guard file copy has also been retained as part of the department’s official record.
The memorandum has been signed by Ajit Kumar Ranjan, Deputy Secretary to the Government of India.
What happens next for Khembhavi?
For now, the most concrete development is the ACC’s approval to curtail Khembhavi’s tenure under the Central Staffing Scheme. The memorandum does not announce a replacement for him in the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation either.
The next administrative step would depend on separate orders concerning the officer’s release, repatriation or any new assignment. Until such a communication is issued, the September 2026 memorandum should be read specifically as an approval for curtailment of his existing central tenure.
The development is notable because Director-level positions under the Central Staffing Scheme involve officers working on national programmes and policy implementation at the Union government level. Khembhavi’s tenure with the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation therefore ends, or is set to end, following an ACC-approved curtailment rather than the completion of the originally sanctioned period.
For the department, the decision will also mean a change in its senior administrative structure, with the government expected to make separate arrangements regarding the officer’s replacement or additional charge if required.
The September 2026 order consequently marks an important personnel change involving a 2011-batch IAS officer at the Centre. For the moment, however, the official record establishes only one clear point: the ACC has approved the curtailment of Arunkumar Khembhavi’s Central Staffing Scheme tenure as Director in the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation.
