DoPT Orders: Ujjwal Ghosh Gets EIC Charge; Saurabh Singh, Smita Srivastava, Kumar Ram Krishna Get Extensions
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has issued a fresh set of orders giving effect to several important changes involving officers serving on central deputation and in key government assignments. The decisions include additional charge for Karnataka-cadre IAS officer Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh, deputation extensions for Saurabh Singh, Smita Srivastava and Kumar Ram Krishna, and the premature repatriation of Indian Information Service officer Keerti Tiwari to her parent cadre.
The latest orders, approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), cover five officers belonging to different organised services and involve assignments in the Department of Commerce, Department of Economic Affairs, Department of Higher Education, NITI Aayog and Ministry of Cooperation. While some officers will continue in their existing central government roles for extended periods, Ghosh has been entrusted with an additional responsibility and Tiwari has been asked to return to her parent cadre to avail the benefit of promotion.
The decisions were conveyed through separate orders issued by the DoPT on September 25, 2026, covering officers from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS), Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE), Indian Information Service (IInfoS) and Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS).
IAS Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh Gets Additional Charge of EIC Director
Karnataka-cadre IAS officer Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh, IAS (KN:2008), has been assigned an additional responsibility as Director (Inspection & Quality Control) in the Export Inspection Council of India (EIC). Ghosh is presently serving as Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce, and the new arrangement will be in addition to his existing responsibilities.
The ACC has approved the proposal of the Department of Commerce to entrust Ghosh with the additional charge for a period of six months from the date on which he assumes charge of the EIC post. The arrangement, however, is subject to the usual proviso that it will remain in force for six months, or until a regular appointment is made to the position, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
The latest decision adds another responsibility to Ghosh’s existing assignment in the Department of Commerce. His additional charge at the Export Inspection Council of India will continue only for the prescribed period or until the competent authority makes a regular appointment to the post.
The EIC is responsible for matters relating to export inspection and quality control, making the Director-level assignment an important administrative responsibility within the country’s export quality assurance framework.
Saurabh Singh Gets Two-Year Extension in Department of Economic Affairs
Saurabh Singh, IA&AS (2013), has been granted a further two-year extension of his central deputation as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs. The ACC has approved the proposal of the Department of Economic Affairs to continue his deputation beyond October 20, 2026.
Under the latest approval, Singh’s tenure has been extended for two years up to October 20, 2028, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will therefore continue to serve in the Department of Economic Affairs under the extended deputation arrangement, subject to the applicable terms and conditions.
Singh was originally appointed as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs for a tenure extending up to February 29, 2024. His initial appointment corresponded with the period during which the G-20 Secretariat was functional, and he assumed charge of the post on October 20, 2022.
The arrangement was subsequently revised, and with effect from March 1, 2024, Singh was appointed as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs for a tenure extending up to October 20, 2026. The latest ACC approval now allows him to remain in the department for another two years, taking the approved tenure up to October 20, 2028.
Smita Srivastava Gets One-Year Extension in Higher Education Department
Smita Srivastava, IRSEE (1997), has also received an extension of her central deputation. The ACC has approved the proposal of the Department of Higher Education to extend her tenure as Joint Secretary in the department for another year beyond July 29, 2026.
Under the approved arrangement, Srivastava will continue in the Department of Higher Education up to July 29, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. The extension also continues the upgradation of the post held by her to the level of Joint Secretary for the third year.
Srivastava has had a long association with the Department of Higher Education. She joined the department on July 29, 2018, as Director on an initial five-year deputation. Her tenure was later extended by two years in June 2023, taking the deputation period up to July 29, 2025.
Her career progression during the deputation subsequently led to a Joint Secretary-level assignment. Srivastava was empanelled for Joint Secretary-level posts in April 2025 and was elevated as Joint Secretary in the Department of Higher Education on May 29, 2025.
Her tenure was then extended by another year in October 2025, allowing her to continue in the department until July 29, 2026. With the latest ACC approval, she will now remain in the Department of Higher Education for another year, up to July 29, 2027, unless an earlier change is ordered.
Keerti Tiwari Repatriated to Parent Cadre for Promotion
In another significant decision, Indian Information Service officer Keerti Tiwari, IInfoS (2008), has been prematurely repatriated from NITI Aayog to her parent cadre. Tiwari was serving as Director in NITI Aayog and was originally appointed to the position for a five-year tenure.
She joined NITI Aayog as Director in January 2023, and her approved tenure was scheduled to continue until January 2028. However, she will now return to her parent cadre before the completion of that tenure.
The premature repatriation has been approved specifically to enable Tiwari to avail the benefit of promotion in her parent cadre. The competent authority accepted the proposal submitted by NITI Aayog and directed that she be relieved from her present duties so that she can report back to the cadre.
The order makes clear that her premature return is linked to career progression rather than the completion of her original deputation tenure. Once relieved from NITI Aayog, Tiwari will report to her parent cadre, where the necessary action relating to her promotion and subsequent assignment can be undertaken.
Kumar Ram Krishna Gets Two-Year Extension in Ministry of Cooperation
Kumar Ram Krishna, IOFS (2010), has been granted a two-year extension of his central deputation as Director in the Ministry of Cooperation. The extension has been approved by the ACC on the proposal of the Ministry of Cooperation.
His existing tenure was scheduled to end on January 17, 2027. With the latest approval, his deputation has now been extended for another two years, taking it up to January 17, 2029, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Ram Krishna will consequently continue to serve as Director in the Ministry of Cooperation under the extended deputation arrangement. As with the other deputation extensions, his continued tenure will remain subject to the applicable terms and conditions governing central deputation.
The decision ensures continuity in his present assignment and allows him to remain in the Ministry of Cooperation beyond the previously approved end date of his tenure.
Five Officers, Different Administrative Changes
Taken together, the latest DoPT orders involve five officers but represent three distinct types of personnel decisions. Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh has been given an additional charge alongside his existing responsibility as Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce, while Saurabh Singh, Smita Srivastava and Kumar Ram Krishna have received extensions of their respective central deputation tenures.
Keerti Tiwari’s case is different. Rather than receiving an extension, she has been prematurely repatriated from NITI Aayog to her parent cadre so that she can avail the benefit of promotion. Her return comes ahead of the January 2028 end date that had originally been fixed for her tenure as Director at NITI Aayog.
The orders collectively touch several important areas of the central government machinery, including commerce, export inspection and quality control, economic affairs, higher education, public policy and cooperation. They also illustrate the different ways in which the central government manages senior and mid-level officers serving outside their parent organisations.
For Ghosh, the immediate change is an additional responsibility at the Export Inspection Council of India. Singh and Ram Krishna will continue in their existing departments for two more years, while Srivastava has received another year in the Department of Higher Education. Tiwari, meanwhile, will return to her parent cadre to pursue the promotional benefit available to her.
With the latest approvals now issued, the respective departments and organisations are expected to implement the orders and complete the necessary charge-taking, relieving and reporting formalities. The individual arrangements will remain subject to the specified tenure periods, regular appointments to the posts where applicable, and any further orders issued by the competent authorities.
