Centre Announces 26 Senior-Level Appointments Across Government Departments, go through full List of Joint Secretaries and Equivalent Posts
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved 26 senior-level appointments across central government departments, including Home Affairs, Health, Culture, Corporate Affairs, NITI Aayog and other key organisations.
The Government of India has announced a major round of senior-level appointments across central ministries, departments and public institutions, with the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approving a series of postings at the Joint Secretary and equivalent levels. The order, dated October 10, 2026, covers appointments across a broad range of portfolios, including Home Affairs, Health and Family Welfare, Corporate Affairs, Culture, Road Transport and Highways, Water Resources, and Women and Child Development.
The appointments include Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers as well as officers from several other central services. The order also covers equivalent-level positions in organisations such as the National Health Authority (NHA), National Testing Agency (NTA), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), Food Corporation of India (FCI), and National Highways Logistics Management Ltd (NHLML).
According to the order issued by the Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, most appointments will take effect from the date the concerned officer assumes charge. Their tenure will be governed by the specific terms mentioned against each posting, including five-year or seven-year overall or combined tenures, where applicable, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
The document lists 26 appointments, spanning senior administrative responsibilities, policy coordination, regulatory functions, public-sector management and specialised government programmes.
Complete List of Appointments Approved by the ACC
A review of the individual entries in the supplied order shows 27 appointment entries, rather than 26 as stated in the headline above. The following list follows the names, designations, departments and tenure details recorded in the document.
Brijesh Panday Appointed Joint Secretary, Department of Capital Development
Brijesh Panday, an IAS officer of the 2004 Tripura cadre, has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Capital Development. His tenure will be five years from the date he assumes charge or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will succeed Thara D, an IAS officer of the 1995 Gujarat cadre.
Nikhil Varma Appointed Additional DGFT
Nikhil Varma, an Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer of the 2005 batch, has been appointed Additional Director General of Foreign Trade (Additional DGFT) in Delhi. The position falls under the Department of Commerce and carries a five-year tenure from the date he assumes charge, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will succeed Vrunda Manohar Desai, an IRS officer of the 2003 batch.
Tanvi Sundriyal Appointed Joint Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs
Tanvi Sundriyal, an IAS officer of the 2010 Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Her combined tenure will run up to August 25, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. She will succeed Rahul Jain, an IAS officer of the 2005 Madhya Pradesh cadre.
Inderjeet Singh Appointed Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture
Inderjeet Singh, an IAS officer of the 2010 Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Culture. His combined tenure will extend up to August 26, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will succeed Amita Prasad Sarbhai, an Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) officer of the 1993 batch.
Prakash Rajpurohit Appointed Deputy Election Commissioner
Prakash Rajpurohit, an IAS officer of the 2010 Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed Deputy Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of India. His combined tenure will continue up to April 8, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will succeed Sanjay Kumar, an IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, 2008 batch.
Tamboli Ayyaj Fakirbhai Appointed Executive Director at IRDAI
Tamboli Ayyaj Fakirbhai, an IAS officer of the 2009 Chhattisgarh cadre, has been appointed Executive Director at the Joint Secretary level in the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). The position falls under the Department of Financial Services. His combined tenure will run up to March 20, 2029, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Rajesh Malik Appointed Executive Director, Food Corporation of India
Rajesh Malik, an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer of the 1994 batch, has been appointed Executive Director at the Food Corporation of India (FCI), New Delhi. The post falls under the Department of Food and Public Distribution. His overall tenure will run up to February 5, 2029, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will succeed Ashutosh Joshi, an Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS) officer of the 1994 batch.
Mohammed Y Safirulla K Appointed Joint Secretary, Health and Family Welfare
Mohammed Y Safirulla K, an IAS officer of the 2010 Kerala cadre, has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare. His combined tenure will extend up to August 27, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will succeed Nikhil Gajraj, an IAS officer of the 2008 Haryana cadre.
Ritu Sharma Appointed Joint Secretary, Health and Family Welfare
Ritu Sharma, an Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer of the 2005 batch, has also been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare. Her tenure will be five years from the date she assumes charge or until further orders, whichever is earlier. She will succeed Vandana Jain of the Central Secretariat Service (CSS).
The names of the other officers appointed include, Varnali Deka, Appointed as Joint Secretary, National Health Authority; More Ashish Madhaorao, Appointed as Additional CEO, National Health Authority; Vivek Khare Appointed as Joint Secretary, National Testing Agency, Ravi Shanakar, Appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs; Chittaranjan Dash, Appointed Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs; P Manoj Kumar Appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs;
Aslo Abhishek Bhagotia, Appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs; Navin Agarwal Appointed Joint Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs; M Ramachandrudu Appointed Joint Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs; Sonia Pant Appointed Adviser at NITI Aayog; Nitin Kumar, Appointed Additional Secretary at CVC; C Murugan Appointed Joint Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; Rajneesh Kumar Tomar Appointed CEO of NHLML; Nishtha Tiwari, Appointed CEO of DWBDNCs; Manisha Trighatia Appointed Joint Secretary, Department of Urban Development; Avinash Jain Appointed Joint Secretary, Department of Water Resources and Pawan Kumar Appointed Joint Secretary, National River Conservation Directorate; are the names of the officers with new roles/
