Major Bureaucratic Development: More than 2 Dozen Senior IAS Officers for Additional Secy-Level Roles at Centre
In a landmark administrative decision, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on February 28, 2025, approved the empanelment of 28 senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers for appointment as Additional Secretary or Additional Secretary-equivalent positions in the Government of India. This move significantly expands the pool of experienced officers eligible to take up crucial policy-making and leadership responsibilities at the Centre.
Key Highlights of the Empanelment
Total Officers Cleared: 28 senior IAS officers across diverse state cadres and batches.
Positions: Additional Secretary and Additional Secretary-equivalent roles.
Significance: Officers empanelled are now eligible for senior appointments in ministries and departments, where they will contribute to policy formulation, inter-ministerial coordination, and implementation oversight.
Cadre Representation: Officers from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, and several other cadres have been included, reflecting a broad national representation.
Officers Empanelled for Additional Secretary Posts
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)
Officers Empanelled for Additional Secretary-Equivalent Posts
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: Strengthening Senior Leadership
This empanelment follows closely on the heels of the ACC’s clearance of 41 IAS officers from the 1990–1995 batches for Secretary and Secretary-equivalent positions. Together, these back-to-back empanelments represent a strategic effort to reinforce senior administrative leadership across ministries and departments.
By expanding the pool of officers eligible for top-tier roles, the Government of India ensures a robust leadership pipeline capable of handling complex governance challenges, driving reforms, and strengthening policy execution at the national level.
