ACC Empanels 28 Senior IAS Officers, Including Dheeraj Sahu and Debasish Prusty, for Additional Secretary-Level Positions at the Centre
In a significant administrative decision, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on February 28, 2025, approved the empanelment of 28 senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers from diverse batches and state cadres. This empanelment qualifies them for appointment as Additional Secretary or Additional Secretary-equivalent in the Government of India.
The clearance enables these officers to be considered for crucial policymaking and administrative assignments at the central level.
Officers Empanelled for Additional Secretary Posts
The following IAS officers have been empanelled for appointment as Additional Secretary or Additional Secretary-equivalent:
Dheeraj Sahu (IAS:1996:UP)
Debasish Prusty (IAS:2000:RJ)
Lokhande Prashant Sitaram (IAS:2001:AGMUT)
Mandeep K Bhandari (IAS:2001:AGMUT)
Sridhar Chiruvolu (IAS:2001:BH)
Arti Kanwar (IAS:2001:GJ)
Vijay Nehra (IAS:2001:GJ)
R Selvam (IAS:2001:HP)
Pankaj Yadav (IAS:2001:HY)
Darpan Jain (IAS:2001:KN)
Nipun Vinayak (IAS:2001:MH)
Prajakta L Verma (IAS:2001:MH)
Shrikar Keshav Pardeshi (IAS:2001:MH)
Vijayalakshmi Prasanna Bidari (IAS:2001:MH)
Nidhi Mani Tripathi (IAS:2001:MN)
Dodda Venkata Swamy (IAS:2001:OR)
Priyank Bharti (IAS:2001:PB)
Neetu Kumari Prasad (IAS:2001:TG)
(Related update: IOFS Rajeev Kumar Gets One-Year Extension as Joint Secretary in MHA; IAS Amit Meena’s Deputation Extended Till 2028)
Officers Empanelled for Additional Secretary-Equivalent Posts
The following IAS officers have been empanelled for Additional Secretary-equivalent positions:
Anoop Kumar Agrawal (IAS:1993:WB)
Sarita Chauhan Chand (IAS:1999:AGMUT)
Bhaskar Jyoti Sharma (IAS:1999:OR)
Shubha Sarma (IAS:1999:OR)
Kumar Rahul (IAS:2000:PB)
Sorabh Babu (IAS:2000:UP)
Ankita Mishra Bundela (IAS:2001:AGMUT)
Jujjavarapu Balaji (IAS:2001:AM)
Siddharth Jain (IAS:2001:AP)
Santhanagopalan R (IAS:2001:OR)
Context: Recent Secretary-Level Empanelment
This empanelment follows closely on the heels of the ACC’s clearance of 41 senior IAS officers from the 1990–1995 batches for Secretary and Secretary-equivalent positions in the Government of India. That large-scale empanelment significantly expanded the pool of officers eligible for the highest decision-making roles at the Centre.
Together, these back-to-back empanelments reflect a broader exercise aimed at reinforcing senior administrative leadership across ministries and departments.
Strengthening Senior Leadership at the Centre
Empanelment by the ACC is a critical step in the appointment process for senior positions in the Central Government. Officers cleared at the Additional Secretary level are eligible to serve in pivotal ministries and departments, where they contribute to policy formulation, inter-ministerial coordination, and implementation oversight.
The latest empanelment showcases a wide representation of cadres and batches, particularly officers from the late 1990s and early 2000s, thereby strengthening the leadership pool available to the Government of India.
