The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the repatriation of Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, IAS (AGMUT:1997), Additional Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), to his parent cadre. The decision has been taken on the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and comes with the imposition of an extended cooling-off period.
The decision was conveyed through an official order issued on August 5, 2026, by the Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Dwivedi is currently serving as Additional Secretary in DoPT, one of the key departments responsible for managing personnel policies, appointments, service conditions and administrative matters relating to the country’s civil services.
ACC approves repatriation to parent cadre
According to the order, the ACC has approved the repatriation of Manoj Kumar Dwivedi to his parent AGMUT cadre. The move has been approved at the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is the cadre-controlling authority for the AGMUT cadre.
Dwivedi is a 1997-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, a cadre that covers the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories region. His return to the parent cadre marks the end of his current central assignment in the Department of Personnel and Training.
The ACC order, however, does not merely approve his return. It specifically states that the repatriation has been approved with imposition of extended ‘cooling off’, making this an important part of the decision.
What does extended cooling-off mean?
The cooling-off provision is intended to ensure a period of separation between an officer’s central deputation and a subsequent return to the cadre before the officer becomes eligible for another central deputation, subject to the applicable government rules.
In simple terms, the provision creates a mandatory gap after an officer returns from a Central government assignment. An extended cooling-off period means that the officer will have to remain in the parent cadre for a longer specified period before being considered for another central deputation.
The exact duration of the extended cooling-off period has not been specified in the ACC order provided in the communication. The order simply records that the repatriation has been approved with the imposition of extended cooling off.
Such provisions are part of the broader system governing deputation of All India Services officers and are intended to balance the Centre’s requirement for experienced officers with the need to ensure that state and cadre administrations also receive adequate services from their officers.
Dwivedi was serving as Additional Secretary in DoPT
Before the latest decision, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi was serving as Additional Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training, under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
DoPT occupies a central position in India’s administrative framework. It deals with matters relating to the All India Services, Central Secretariat services, appointments to senior government posts, service rules, training and several aspects of personnel administration.
An Additional Secretary-level assignment in DoPT therefore places an officer in an important position within the Union government’s administrative machinery. Officers working in the department are involved in policy formulation and implementation concerning the country’s civil services and broader government personnel system.
Dwivedi’s repatriation will now bring his central assignment to an end, with the officer returning to his parent AGMUT cadre.
Move approved on Ministry of Home Affairs’ request
The wording of the ACC order makes it clear that the repatriation was approved “on the request of Ministry of Home Affairs.” This is particularly relevant because the MHA is responsible for the cadre management of AGMUT officers.
The AGMUT cadre is distinct in its structure because it covers a group of Union Territories and northeastern and other regions rather than a single state. Officers belonging to the cadre can serve in different administrative jurisdictions within the cadre during their careers.
The return of a senior 1997-batch IAS officer to the cadre can therefore have significance for the administrative requirements of the MHA and the jurisdictions under the AGMUT framework.
Official order issued on August 5
The decision was formally issued from New Delhi on August 5, 2026, through the Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, Department of Personnel and Training.
The order bears reference number 36/01/2026-EO(SM-I), although the scanned copy provided contains some typographical or OCR-related distortions in the reference number.
The order was signed by Manisha Saxena, Secretary, Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and Establishment Officer.
The communication was circulated to senior constitutional authorities and government offices, including the Cabinet Secretary, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Secretary to the President of India, Secretary to the Vice-President and the Secretaries General of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha Secretariats.
It was also sent to the Secretary, DoPT, Secretary (Coordination and Public Grievances) in the Cabinet Secretariat and all Secretaries to the Government of India as per the standard distribution list.
Home Ministry and states informed
The offices of the Union Home Minister, all Union Ministers and the Minister of State for Personnel have also been included among the recipients. The officer concerned and Chief Secretaries of all states have likewise been informed of the ACC decision.
The Cabinet Secretariat was separately marked with reference to its communication bearing Dy. No. 02/02/2026-CS(A), dated August 5, 2026. The order was also circulated to Kavita Singh, Joint Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, for information and necessary action.
Other recipients include the Director General (Media and Communication), Press Information Bureau, the Editor of Civil Services News, the Deputy Secretary in the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, and relevant offices within DoPT.
The National Informatics Centre, DoPT, and the concerned Establishment Officer offices have also been included in the official circulation.
Senior AGMUT officer returns to cadre
Manoj Kumar Dwivedi’s repatriation is another significant movement involving a senior AGMUT cadre officer at the Centre. His current position as Additional Secretary in DoPT placed him in one of the key departments dealing with India’s civil service administration.
With the ACC now approving his return to the parent cadre, his next assignment will fall within the administrative structure of AGMUT, subject to the decisions of the competent authorities.
The imposition of extended cooling-off is an additional feature of the order and means that his future eligibility for another Central deputation will be subject to the applicable cooling-off requirements.
For now, the ACC decision effectively closes his present Central deputation in DoPT and clears the way for his repatriation to the AGMUT cadre at a senior stage of his IAS career.
