The central deputation tenure of Rajeev Singh Thakur (IAS:1995:RJ), serving as Adviser in NITI Aayog in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary, has been extended by six months.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) issued on Wednesday (December 10, 2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved extending Thakur’s deputation for six months beyond December 12, 2025, or until further orders, whichever comes earlier.
Veteran former bureaucrat Dr P K Mishra, currently Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Principal Secretary, was in a reflective mood at Bharat Mandapam on December 10 when he described good governance as a fundamental right of citizens, defined by efficiency, transparency, grievance redressal, and timely service delivery.
Mishra shared his vision of a modern and an inclusive nation with liveable cities and vibrant villages, stressing citizen-centred governance, responsible use of technology, and collective action to ensure dignity, justice, and development for all Indians.
Mishra was addressing the inaugural session of the “National Conference on Ensuring Everyday Essentials—Public Services and Dignity for All” organised at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital.
According to him, Human Rights Day is not merely a commemoration but an invitation to reflect on dignity in everyday life. Mishra emphasised the significance of World Human Rights Day for democratic nations like India, where constitutional ideals, democratic institutions, and societal values converge to protect and promote human dignity.
In his keynote remarks, Mishra said that today dignity is shaped not only by freedoms but also by access to privacy, mobility, a clean environment, and digital inclusion.
Mishra cited the benefits of PM Modi’s call for Jan Bhagidari, saying public service delivery has shifted from prescribing to responding, from delivering schemes to delivering dignity, and from viewing people as beneficiaries to partners in nation-building.
He urged the National Human Rights Commission to adapt frameworks for emerging challenges as India advances toward Viksit Bharat 2047. At the same time, Mishra highlighted issues like climate change, environmental justice, data protection, algorithmic fairness, responsible AI, gig work vulnerabilities, and digital surveillance as pressing concerns.
Following the practice of rehabilitating former bureaucrats, the Gujarat government on Wednesday appointed former state Chief Secretary Pankaj Joshi (IAS:1989:GJ) as Chairman of the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC). The GERC is a regulatory body that regulates the electricity sector.
The post of GERC Chairperson has been lying vacant since August after the tenure of former Chief Secretary Anil Mukim (IAS:1985:GJ) ended. The energy and petrochemicals department issued a notification on Wednesday in this regard. According to the notification, Joshi’s tenure will start from the date he resumes the office.
Joshi retired as Chief Secretary on Oct 31 but has been given the crucial posting within less than two months of retirement. During his decades-long career, Joshi has served in important positions in several key departments of the state govt as well as at the Centre.
The Karnataka government promoted senior IPS officer Alok Kumar (IPS:1994:KN) as the Director-General of Police (DGP) on Thursday. He has been posted as the DGP (prisons and correctional services).
Kumar shot to fame for reducing road accident deaths on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway during his tenure as traffic and road safety commissioner. He took over as traffic commissioner three months after the highway was opened to the public in March 2023. About 188 deaths had been reported on the highway in that year alone. As usual, overspeeding with rash and negligent driving was the main reason behind the accidents.
Kumar showed his sagacity to detect vehicles moving beyond 100 kmph by installing about 40 Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at 12 locations along the highway. It helped detect the errant drivers and fine them. Besides, FIRs were registered against vehicles moving beyond that speed with the help of the same cameras. His efforts resulted in accidental deaths on the highway coming down to 92 last year.
Kumar has already served as Bengaluru police commissioner, additional commissioner, joint commissioner, and deputy commissioner at different times and is credited with keeping rowdy elements away from the city.
Another senior IPS officer, B Dayananda (IPS:1994:KN), who was ADGP (prisons and correctional services), has been transferred to police training.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Tuesday (December 9, 2025) approved the empanelment of five senior officers from various services and batches for appointment as Secretary or Secretary-equivalent at the central government. The decision enables them to be considered for top administrative roles in key ministries and departments.
The Karnataka government on Monday (December 8, 2025) promoted seven IAS officers of the 2012 batch to the Selection Grade, which carries the pay scale of Level 13 in the Pay Matrix. The order grants retrospective effect to the promotions from January 1, 2025, benefiting officers serving across key administrative and public service roles in the state.
Those promoted include Basavarajendra H, Commissioner, Department of Public Libraries; Dr. Gopala Krishna HN, Commissioner for Labour; Dr. Shiva Shankara N, Managing Director, BESCOM; Vasantha Kumar P, Joint Secretary (Food Processing and Harvest Technology) in the Department of Agriculture; Karee Gowda, CEO, Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited; Shivananda Kapashi, Director, Department of Agricultural Marketing; and Kavitha S. Mannikeri, Deputy Commissioner of Vijayanagara district.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Wednesday (December 10, 2025) approved the redesignation of seven officers from the 2012 batch of different services to the post of Director, with the change taking effect from January 1, 2026. All seven officers are currently serving as Deputy Secretaries across various ministries and departments.
Those elevated include Yashu Rustagi (IAS:2012:UP) in the DoPT; Harleen Kaur (IAS:2012:AGMUT) in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; Shinde Deepak Arjun (IAS:2012:AGMUT), who is serving as Private Secretary to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari; Yuvraj Ravindra Patil (IRTS:2012) in the Lokpal under the DoPT; Vikash Kumar (IA&AS:2012) in the Ministry of Defence; Komaljit Meena (IRS-IT:2012), also in the Ministry of Defence; and Annies Kanmani Joy (IAS:2012:KN) in the DoPT.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (December 10, 2025) presided over a high-level meeting to decide on major appointments in the Central Information Commission (CIC). The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah participated in the discussions, which stretched for over ninety minutes. While the government has not disclosed details of the deliberations, sources indicate that Rahul Gandhi recorded a dissent note on some of the candidates proposed by the government.
The committee is expected to select a new Chief Information Commissioner along with eight Information Commissioners, and it also examined potential names for the vacant positions of Vigilance Commissioners in the Central Vigilance Commission.
In a related development, the Department of Personnel and Training, responding to an RTI query, confirmed that it had received 83 applications for the Chief Information Commissioner post following an advertisement on May 21, and 161 applications for Information Commissioner posts after a separate notification issued on August 14, 2024.
Senior IAS officer Sandhya Bhullar (IAS:2003:GJ), serving as Joint Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), has been prematurely repatriated to her parent Gujarat cadre with extended cooling off. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (December 9, 2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the DPIIT’s proposal to repatriate her before the completion of her extended tenure.
Bhullar came on central deputation in March 2019 as Director in the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for five years and was laterally shifted to the Department of Economic Affairs in October 2020. In November 2023, she was appointed Joint Secretary in the DPIIT with a tenure up to March 31, 2024, which was first extended up to February 23, 2025, and later for two more years beyond that date.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the re-designation of two Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers—Mangesh Ghildiyal (IAS:2012:UD) and Chandra Mohan Thakur (IAS:2012:MP)—as Directors in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (December 9, 2025), both officers, currently serving as Deputy Secretaries in the PMO, will assume their upgraded Director-level posts from January 1, 2026.
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