The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the empanelment of two officers of the Indian Administrative Service, drawn from different cadres, for senior-level positions in the Government of India.
Shalini Pandit, an officer of the 2001 batch borne upon the Odisha cadre, has been empanelled for Additional Secretary or equivalent-level posts, while Sufiyah Faruqui Wali, an officer of the 2009 batch of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been empanelled for Joint Secretary or equivalent-level positions at the Centre.
The two officers are at present serving in different departments and organisations of the Government of India. Pandit holds the office of Joint Secretary in the Department of Financial Services, while Wali is serving as General Manager (Region) at the Food Corporation of India, Bhopal.
Their empanelment renders them eligible for consideration for the respective levels of Central Government assignment, subject to the applicable procedures of appointment.
Shalini Pandit Empanelled for Additional Secretary-Level Posts
Shalini Pandit, an officer of the 2001 batch of the Indian Administrative Service and of the Odisha cadre, has been empanelled for holding Additional Secretary or equivalent-level posts in the Government of India. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved her empanelment for Additional Secretary-level positions at the Centre on Tuesday.
Pandit is at present serving as Joint Secretary in the Department of Financial Services. She assumed the position in September 2025 and was appointed for a tenure of five years. The Department of Financial Services functions under the Ministry of Finance and deals with matters relating to financial institutions, banking, insurance, and other areas within its administrative jurisdiction.
Her empanelment marks her consideration for senior-level responsibilities in the Central Government beyond her current Joint Secretary-level assignment. It must be observed, however, that empanelment of itself does not constitute an appointment to any particular Additional Secretary post.
Over the course of her administrative career, Pandit has served in assignments at both the State and Central Government levels. Her present position as Joint Secretary in the Department of Financial Services places her in a key administrative role within the Union Government’s financial services establishment. With her empanelment for Additional Secretary or equivalent-level posts, she becomes eligible for consideration for assignments at that level in accordance with the appointment procedures of the Government of India.
Sufiyah Faruqui Wali Empanelled for Joint Secretary-Level Posts
Sufiyah Faruqui Wali, an officer of the 2009 batch of the Indian Administrative Service and of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been empanelled for Joint Secretary or equivalent-level posts in the Government of India. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved her empanelment on Saturday, the seventeenth day of October, 2026.
Wali is at present serving as General Manager (Region) of the Food Corporation of India at Bhopal, covering the Madhya Pradesh Region. The organisation functions under the Department of Food and Public Distribution. Her current assignment involves responsibilities within the regional administrative structure of the Corporation, an organisation which plays a significant part in the procurement, storage, and distribution of foodgrains in India.
Her empanelment renders her eligible for consideration for Joint Secretary-level assignments at the Centre, subject to the applicable procedures and the availability of posts. Her present role as General Manager (Region) at Bhopal places her within the administrative framework responsible for the regional operations of the Corporation in Madhya Pradesh. The empanelment is a significant development in her career, making her eligible for consideration for Joint Secretary or equivalent-level responsibilities in the Central Government. As with other empanelments, it does not of itself signify that she has been appointed to any specific Joint Secretary post.
The Meaning of Empanelment
Empanelment is the process through which officers are assessed and found eligible for consideration for appointments at specified levels of seniority in the Central Government. For officers of the Indian Administrative Service, empanelment for Joint Secretary or Additional Secretary-level posts is an important step in their progression in the Central Government. It indicates eligibility for consideration for positions at the relevant level; yet an officer may still require to be selected and appointed to a specific post through the prescribed process.
In the present cases, Shalini Pandit has been empanelled for Additional Secretary or equivalent-level positions, while Sufiyah Faruqui Wali has been empanelled for Joint Secretary or equivalent-level posts. Their empanelments concern two different levels of senior Central Government assignment and reflect the distinction between eligibility for a level of post and appointment to a particular position.
