Senior 1995-batch Indian Information Service officer Raj Kumar has been promoted to the Director General level in IIS. He will continue at the Press Information Bureau in New Delhi on an “as is where is” basis until further orders.
New Delhi: Senior Indian Information Service (IIS) officer Raj Kumar has been promoted to the Director General level in the Indian Information Service, marking a significant elevation in his long administrative and media communication career. Kumar, a 1995-batch IIS officer, is currently serving as Additional Director General (M&C) at the Press Information Bureau (PIB) in New Delhi, where he is associated with media and communication work relating to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cooperation.
According to the order issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on October 1, 2026, Raj Kumar has been granted provisional promotion to the Director General level, Selection Grade, of the Indian Information Service, Group ‘A’. The promotion has been placed in Level 15 of the Pay Matrix and will take effect from the date he assumes charge of the promoted post, with the arrangement continuing until further orders.
Raj Kumar to Continue at PIB for Now
While the promotion takes him to the Director General level in the IIS hierarchy, there is no immediate change in his present place of posting. The government order specifically provides that Kumar will continue at his existing place of posting in New Delhi on an “as is where is” basis until further orders.
That means his elevation in service does not, by itself, amount to a fresh appointment as Director General of the Press Information Bureau. The latest available PIB directory lists Nitin D. Wakankar as Director General, while Raj Kumar is listed as Additional Director General for the Media and Communication Division dealing with Home Affairs and Cooperation.
This distinction is important because a promotion to the Director General level in the Indian Information Service and appointment to a specific Director General post at PIB are separate administrative matters. For now, the available information confirms Kumar’s elevation to the DG-level Selection Grade while retaining his existing posting.
Promotion Against Temporary Vacancy
The promotion has been made against a temporary vacancy that arose following the deputation of a senior officer. The order provides Kumar with provisional elevation to Level 15, subject to the terms specified by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
For a senior IIS officer with a career dating back to the 1995 batch, the move represents an important progression in the government information and communication system. The Indian Information Service plays a central role in communicating government policies, programmes and decisions to the public through various media platforms, while officers posted with PIB and ministry media divisions regularly coordinate with journalists and news organisations.
Kumar’s present assignment has placed him at the intersection of government communication, media coordination and public information, particularly in relation to the Home Affairs and Cooperation portfolio.
Who Is Raj Kumar?
Raj Kumar is a 1995-batch officer of the Indian Information Service. Over the course of his career, he has held senior responsibilities in government media and communication assignments and has been associated with the Press Information Bureau’s work concerning the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The current PIB directory identifies him as Additional Director General and places him in the Media and Communication Division dealing with Home Affairs and Cooperation. His responsibilities involve the government’s media communication related to the concerned ministries and departments.
His association with the Home Affairs communication setup is not new. Earlier PIB records also listed Raj Kumar in the Home Affairs and Cooperation media and communication division, reflecting his continued involvement in the government’s information and publicity framework over the years.
Important Role in Government Media Communication
The position held by Raj Kumar is particularly relevant because the Ministry of Home Affairs deals with a wide range of subjects that routinely attract national media attention. These include internal security, policing and law and order coordination, border management, disaster management, counter-terrorism, narcotics control and several other matters involving the functioning of the Union government.
As part of the media and communication structure, senior IIS officers help ensure that official information reaches journalists and the wider public in a timely and coordinated manner. Their work can involve media briefings, dissemination of government decisions, coordination with news organisations and communication support during major national developments.
PIB’s own recent releases have also identified Raj Kumar in connection with the Ministry of Home Affairs’ media communication responsibilities. A PIB release issued in October 2026, for example, identified him as Additional Director General (Media), Ministry of Home Affairs, during a media interaction concerning the government’s Nasha Mukt Bharat 2029 initiative.
What the Promotion Means
The elevation to Director General level is significant within the Indian Information Service because it places Raj Kumar in one of the senior-most grades of the service. The promotion to Selection Grade at Level 15 reflects his movement upward in the administrative hierarchy after more than three decades since his entry into the 1995 IIS batch.
At the same time, the order does not indicate an immediate transfer from PIB. Instead, the “as is where is” provision allows him to remain at his current place of posting while holding the newly granted service level.
This arrangement also means that his existing experience in government media communication can continue to be utilised without an immediate change in assignment. Any subsequent decision regarding a specific Director General-level posting would be a separate administrative development.
PIB’s Current Senior-Level Structure
The Press Information Bureau is the government’s principal agency for disseminating information about policies, programmes, initiatives and activities of the Union government. Its media and communication divisions work across ministries and departments, maintaining regular interaction with journalists and news organisations.
According to the latest PIB “Who’s Who” directory available online, Nitin D. Wakankar is listed as Director General, while Raj Kumar is listed as Additional Director General for Home Affairs and Cooperation.
Raj Kumar’s promotion therefore adds another senior IIS officer at the Director General level without immediately changing the publicly listed PIB assignment. The arrangement could change later if the government issues a separate posting or appointment order.
A Significant Career Milestone
For Raj Kumar, the promotion represents a notable milestone in a career spanning several decades in India’s government information and communication system. His progression from the 1995 IIS batch to the Director General level comes at a time when government communication has become increasingly complex, with traditional media, digital platforms and real-time public communication all forming an important part of the information ecosystem. His experience in Home Affairs-related media communication also gives the elevation added significance, considering the sensitive and high-profile nature of the portfolio.
For now, however, the key point is clear: Raj Kumar has been promoted to the Director General level, Selection Grade, in the Indian Information Service, while continuing at his existing PIB posting in New Delhi until further orders. Any future appointment specifically naming him as Director General of the Press Information Bureau would require a separate official order.
