The Government of India has empanelled eight senior officers for appointment as Joint Secretary or equivalent at the central level. These officers belong to various All India and Central Services, representing a wide spectrum of expertise and administrative experience across different sectors.
The empanelment, approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), paves the way for these officers to take up key leadership roles in ministries and departments of the Central Government. The empanelled officers include individuals from the Indian Forest Service (IFS), Indian Postal Service, Indian Statistical Service, and Indian Railway Personnel Service. Their inclusion reflects a balanced representation from both technical and generalist services, aligning with the Centre’s ongoing commitment to strengthening governance with diverse administrative capabilities.
From the Indian Forest Service, the officers empanelled are:
- Kamaljeet Singh (Batch: 2004, Cadre: Bihar)
- Dheeraj Pandey (Batch: 2004, Cadre: Uttarakhand)
Both officers have had extensive experience in forest administration and environmental policy, and are expected to contribute significantly to ecological governance, climate initiatives, and sustainable development planning.
From the Indian Postal Service, two officers from the 2004 batch have been empanelled:
- Jagdeep Gupta
- Sunil Sharma
With the Department of Posts undergoing digital transformation and service diversification, these officers bring valuable domain knowledge in logistics, communications, and public service outreach, which are vital to the Centre’s push for last-mile service delivery.
The Indian Statistical Service, known for its technical depth in data analysis and policy formulation, is represented by three officers from the 2004 batch:
- Samarendra Prakash Srivastava
- Siljo V K
- Hema Jaiswal
Their elevation comes at a time when evidence-based policymaking and data governance are gaining prominence in the Central Government’s strategic initiatives. Their expertise is expected to enhance capabilities in sectors like economic planning, national surveys, and statistical modelling for policy impact.
From the Indian Railway Personnel Service, Rajendra Kumar Agrawal of the 2000 batch has been empanelled. With a strong background in human resource management and personnel policy in one of the largest employers in the country, his role at the Centre will be pivotal in shaping administrative reforms and workforce modernization across departments.
This round of empanelment is part of the Government’s regular cadre management and succession planning exercise, aimed at ensuring that the best administrative talent is available to serve at key policy-making levels. The empanelled officers are now eligible to be considered for Joint Secretary-level appointments across various ministries and departments, subject to the availability of vacancies and specific requirements.
The empanelment underscores the government’s emphasis on bringing domain-specific expertise and cross-sectoral administrative experience to the forefront of policymaking and programme execution.