Rajendra Kumar Gets Additional Charge of Inter-State Council Secretariat Secretary
The Government of India has assigned additional charge of the post of Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat to senior IAS officer Rajendra Kumar, Secretary, Department of Border Management. The arrangement has been approved by the competent authority and will remain in effect from September 11 to September 20, 2026, during the period when the incumbent Secretary, Ashish Srivastava, is away on leave.
The decision was communicated through an official order issued by the Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet under the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Rajendra Kumar, a 1992-batch Indian Administrative Service officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, will handle the responsibilities of the Inter-State Council Secretariat in addition to his existing assignment as Secretary, Department of Border Management.
Rajendra Kumar to Take Additional Responsibility
According to the order dated September 10, 2026, the competent authority has approved the assignment of additional charge to Rajendra Kumar, IAS (TN:1992), with effect from September 11. He will continue in this additional capacity until September 20, covering the period of absence on leave of Ashish Srivastava, IAS (MP:1992), who currently holds the post of Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat.
The arrangement is essentially a temporary administrative measure to ensure continuity in the functioning of the Secretariat. With a senior Secretary-level officer taking over the additional responsibility, the government has sought to ensure that important matters under the Inter-State Council framework continue to receive timely attention during the incumbent’s leave period.
Rajendra Kumar brings extensive administrative experience to the temporary assignment. As Secretary, Department of Border Management, he is already handling a portfolio linked to matters of national importance and coordination involving India’s borders and related administrative mechanisms. His additional charge of the Inter-State Council Secretariat will now add another significant coordination responsibility to his existing role.
Key Role of Inter-State Council Secretariat
The Inter-State Council Secretariat plays an important role in India’s federal administrative structure. It supports the institutional mechanism through which the Centre and the states can deliberate on matters involving inter-governmental relations, coordination and issues of common interest.
The Inter-State Council framework is particularly significant in a country as large and diverse as India, where policy implementation often requires close coordination between the Union government and state governments. The Secretariat provides administrative and institutional support for this process, making the Secretary’s position an important one from the perspective of Centre-state coordination.
During the temporary arrangement, Rajendra Kumar will therefore be responsible for overseeing the Secretariat’s work while continuing to discharge his regular duties in the Department of Border Management. The short duration of the additional charge indicates that the arrangement has been specifically designed to cover the incumbent officer’s leave period rather than represent a permanent change in the post.
Ashish Srivastava on Leave
Ashish Srivastava, IAS (MP:1992), is the regular Secretary of the Inter-State Council Secretariat. The latest order makes it clear that the additional charge assigned to Rajendra Kumar is directly linked to Srivastava’s absence on leave.
Such temporary additional-charge arrangements are a routine part of the senior civil services system. When a Secretary-level officer is unavailable for a defined period, another senior officer may be entrusted with the additional responsibility so that decision-making and administrative supervision do not face a gap.
In this case, the government has chosen Rajendra Kumar for the period from September 11 through September 20. His existing position at the Secretary level and his experience in handling a major Union government department make him well placed to take on the temporary responsibility.
Order Issued by Appointments Committee Secretariat
The order has been issued by the Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India. It is dated September 10, 2026, and sets out the exact period for which the additional charge will be held.
The communication has been circulated to a wide range of senior constitutional, political and administrative authorities. The distribution list includes the Cabinet Secretary, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Secretary to the President of India, Secretary to the Vice President of India, and the Secretaries General of both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha Secretariats.
The order has also been forwarded to the Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training, Secretary (Coordination & Public Grievances) in the Cabinet Secretariat, and all Secretaries to the Government of India as per the standard circulation list. This reflects the formal nature of the administrative arrangement and ensures that the relevant offices are informed about the change in additional responsibility.
Communication to Union Ministers and State Governments
The order has also been circulated to the Personal Secretaries of the Home Minister and all Union Ministers, as well as the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. The officer concerned has been informed, while Chief Secretaries of all states have also been included in the circulation.
The communication assumes particular relevance for state governments because of the Inter-State Council Secretariat’s role in Centre-state coordination. Keeping the Chief Secretaries informed ensures that state-level administrative leadership is aware of the officer responsible for the Secretariat during the specified period.
The Cabinet Secretariat has also been informed of the arrangement with reference to its Deputy No. 01/02/2026-CS(A), dated September 10, 2026. Other recipients include the Director General (Media and Communication), Press Information Bureau, the Editor, Civil Services News, and the Deputy Secretary dealing with Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances.
Rajendra Kumar’s Additional Charge to Last 10 Days
The additional assignment is limited to a 10-day period, beginning September 11 and ending September 20. Unless there is a subsequent government order extending or modifying the arrangement, the temporary charge will therefore conclude at the end of the specified period.
For Rajendra Kumar, the assignment means managing the affairs of two important Union government portfolios simultaneously for the duration of the arrangement. His primary responsibility as Secretary, Department of Border Management will continue, while he will also oversee the work of the Inter-State Council Secretariat during Ashish Srivastava’s leave.
The order has also been marked to the National Informatics Centre, DoPT, and the relevant administrative offices for record and implementation. The communication was signed by Annies Kanmarn Joy, Director, on behalf of the competent authority.
The latest administrative move underlines how the Centre manages continuity at the highest levels of the civil services. Rather than leaving a Secretary-level position unattended during an officer’s absence, the government has opted for a defined temporary arrangement, placing the responsibility with another experienced Secretary-level IAS officer.
For the Inter-State Council Secretariat, Rajendra Kumar’s additional charge will ensure that its administrative functioning continues without interruption during the specified leave period. His existing experience at the Union government level, coupled with his current responsibility in the Department of Border Management, will now come into play in another important area of Centre-state administrative coordination.
