Centre Empanels 53 Officers for Joint Secretary-Level Posts; IRS, Railway and Other Central Services Feature Prominently
The Central Government has empanelled 53 officers belonging to various organised Group A services for consideration for appointment to Joint Secretary or equivalent-level positions in the Government of India. The empanelment was announced on November 2, 2026, and includes officers from several batches, ranging from 1997 to 2006.
The list features officers from the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), different Railway services, Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS), Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS), Indian Statistical Service (ISS), Indian Economic Service (IES), Indian Telecommunications Service (ITS) and Indian Trade Service (ITrS).
Officers from the 2006 batch account for a substantial proportion of the empanelled candidates, reflecting the wide representation of this batch across several central services.
Service-Wise List of 53 Empanelled Officers
1. Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Indirect Taxes) โ IRS (C&IT)
Ten officers belonging to the 2006 batch of the Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Indirect Taxes) have been empanelled for Joint Secretary-level positions.
- Akshay Joshi (IRS-C&IT: 2006)
- Arvind Kumar (IRS-C&IT: 2006)
- Ashok Kumar (IRS-C&IT: 2006)
- Gaurav Singh (IRS-C&IT: 2006)
- Gautam Wahi (IRS-C&IT: 2006)
- K. Kalimuthu (IRS-C&IT: 2006)
- K. Padmavathy (IRS-C&IT: 2006)
- Kotraswamy M (IRS-C&IT: 2006)
- P. Vinitha Sekhar (IRS-C&IT: 2006)
- Senthil Nathan S (IRS-C&IT: 2006)
2. Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) โ IRS (IT)
Six officers from the 2006 batch of the Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) have also secured empanelment.
- Abhishek Kumar (IRS-IT: 2006)
- Kalpana Singh (IRS-IT: 2006)
- Priyanka Singh (IRS-IT: 2006)
- Richa Rastogi (IRS-IT: 2006)
- Rukmani Attri (IRS-IT: 2006)
- Surabhi Sharma (IRS-IT: 2006)
3. Indian Railway Services
Several officers from different Railway services have been included in the empanelment, covering engineering, stores, mechanical, accounts, electrical and personnel cadres.
Indian Railway Service of Engineers (Civil) โ IRSE
- Rajiv Kumar Tanwar (IRSE-Civil: 2004)
Indian Railway Stores Service โ IRSS
- Sanjeev Verma (IRSS: 2003)
- Akash Deep (IRSS: 2006)
- Ankur Srivastava (IRSS: 2006)
- Dilip Gupta (IRSS: 2006)
- Rajendra Solanki (IRSS: 2006)
Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers โ IRSME
- Kapil Jambhulkar (IRSME: 2006)
- Shoorvir Singh Chauhan (IRSME: 2006)
- Tarun Kumar (IRSME: 2006)
- Vivek Varshney (IRSME: 2006)
Indian Railway Accounts Service โ IRAS
- Mohammad Faisal (IRAS: 2006)
- Prateek Kumar Singh (IRAS: 2006)
- Pratima Tripathi (IRAS: 2006)
Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers โ IRSEE
- Santosh Kumar Rajula (IRSEE: 2006)
Indian Railway Personnel Service โ IRPS
- Timothy Tajonang Gonmei (IRPS: 2001)
- Ravi Kumar (IRPS: 2006)
4. Indian Audit and Accounts Service โ IA&AS
Two officers belonging to the 2006 batch of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service have been empanelled.
- Deepna Gokulram (IA&AS: 2006)
- Priya Parikh (IA&AS: 2006)
5. Indian Civil Accounts Service โ ICAS
The following officer from the Indian Civil Accounts Service has been included:
- Anjana Vashishtha (ICAS: 2005)
6. Indian Statistical Service โ ISS
Five officers from the Indian Statistical Service have been empanelled for Joint Secretary-level positions.
- Raj Kumar Gautam (ISS: 2001)
- Akhilesh Kumar (ISS: 2006)
- Kanishk Kant Srivastava (ISS: 2006)
- Kedar Nath Verma (ISS: 2006)
- Rajeev Kumar (ISS: 2006)
7. Indian Economic Service โ IES
The empanelment includes one officer from the Indian Economic Service.
- Rose Mary K. Abraham (IES: 2006)
8. Indian Telecommunications Service โ ITS
Ten officers belonging to the 1997 batch of the Indian Telecommunications Service have been empanelled.
- Ashok Kumar (ITS: 1997)
- Mehul R. Joshi (ITS: 1997)
- Neeraj Naruka (ITS: 1997)
- Rakesh Shrivastava (ITS: 1997)
- Ritu Pande (ITS: 1997)
- Sandeep Arya (ITS: 1997)
- Sumit Mishra (ITS: 1997)
- Vijay Agarwal (ITS: 1997)
- Y. Sreenivasa Rao (ITS: 1997)
- Yashwant Kumar (ITS: 1997)
9. Indian Trade Service โ ITrS
Two officers from the Indian Trade Service have also been empanelled.
- Rakesh Kumar (ITrS: 2005)
- Lokesh H. D. (ITrS: 2006)
Empanelment Opens the Way for Joint Secretary-Level Assignments
The latest empanelment represents a significant development for officers belonging to various organised central services, providing them eligibility for consideration for senior administrative assignments in the Government of India.
Joint Secretaries play an important role in policy formulation, programme implementation, inter-ministerial coordination and the administration of key government departments.
The inclusion of officers from revenue, railway, accounts, statistical, economic, telecommunications and trade services reflects the broad range of professional expertise available across the central government establishment.
However, empanelment should not be confused with an actual appointment. It makes the officers eligible for consideration for Joint Secretary or equivalent-level positions, while their eventual postings will depend on vacancies, administrative requirements and the prescribed appointment process.
