NEW DELHI — In a major administrative development, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the empanelment of 41 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers for top-tier positions at the Centre. The official order, dated February 28, 2026, clears these officers for roles at the level of Secretary or Secretary Equivalent.
The list features a diverse group of veteran bureaucrats from various state cadres, spanning the 1990 to 1995 batches.
Officers Empanelled for Secretary/Secretary Equivalent:
The following 20 officers have been recommended for the highest administrative grade:
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1990–1993 Batches: Keshav Kumar Pathak (BH), S. Gopalakrishnan (TN), Surendra Kumar Bagde (MH).
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1994 Batch: Sanjay Lohiya (AM).
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1995 Batch: Keshav Chandra (AGMUT), Rohit Kansal (AGMUT), D Thara (GJ), Bharat Harbanslal Khera (HP), Satendra Singh (JH), TK Anil Kumar (KN), Abhishek Singh (NL), Sushil Kumar Lohani (OR), Dilip Kumar (PB), Jaspreet Talwar (PB), Rajeev Singh Thakur (RJ), Sanjay Kumar (TG), MA Siddique (TN), Ashutosh Jindal (TR), Mritunjay Kumar Narayan (UP), and Santosh Kumar Yadav (UP).
Officers Empanelled for Secretary Equivalent:
An additional 21 officers have been cleared specifically for Secretary Equivalent posts:
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1991–1994 Batches: Anju Sharma (GJ), Sanjay Rastogi (OR), Manisha Verma (MH), Aniruddhe Mukerjee (MP), Alok Kumar II (UP), Dushyant Nariala (WB), Alok Shekhar (PB), and Leena Johri (UP).
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1995 Batch: Chandra Bhushan Kumar (AGMUT), H Rajesh Prasad (AGMUT), Sajjan Singh Yadav (AGMUT), Archana Varma (AM), Shakil P Ahammed (AM), B Rajender (BH), Rawther Dawood Nazeem (HP), M Maheshwar Rao (KN), Radhika Rastogi (MH), Hitesh Kumar S Makwana (TN), R Jaya (TN), Bhuvnesh Kumar (UP), and Sanjay Prasad (UP).
This extensive empanelment signals an upcoming reshuffle in central ministries, as these officers are now eligible to lead key departments and drive national policy initiatives.
