NEW DELHI: In a significant top-level bureaucratic reshuffle, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of senior bureaucrat Shri Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, IAS, as the new Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) under the Ministry of Education.
The official executive order (No. 36/02/2026-EO(SM-I)) was issued on June 2, 2026, by the Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (Department of Personnel and Training).
Core Portfolios and Restructuring Mandates
The dual-bureaucracy transition shifts two senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers into pivotal central administrative assignments:
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New CBSE Chief: Shri Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, a 2001-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre, takes over the education board. Prior to this assignment, he was serving as Additional Secretary in the Department of Home, Ministry of Home Affairs. He has been placed in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.
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Predecessor’s Reassignment: Shri Lokhande Prashant Sitaram replaces Shri Rahul Singh, IAS, a 1996-batch officer of the Bihar (BH) cadre.
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New Post for Rahul Singh: Concurrently, the ACC has approved the appointment of the outgoing CBSE chief, Shri Rahul Singh, as Additional Secretary in the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
The high-level establishment notification was formally signed and authorized by Manisha Saxena, Secretary to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet & Establishment Officer.
Official copies of the mandate have been distributed to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Cabinet Secretariat, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare for rapid implementation and recording.
