New Delhi: The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has failed to recommend any candidate for the post of Director (Corporate Planning & Personnel) at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL).
The selection meeting was held on October 1, 2026. The board interviewed Panuganti Srinivas Rao, General Manager (Design) at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, for the post.
However, the PESB did not recommend any candidate and advised the administrative ministry/department to choose an appropriate course of further action, including the Search-cum-Selection Committee (SCSC), or another method deemed appropriate with the approval of the competent authority.
The vacancy notification for the post was advertised by PESB on February 20, 2026. The position will fall vacant on January 1, 2027, following the retirement of incumbent Cdr. Vasudev Ranganath Puranik on December 31, 2026. Puranik has been serving as Director (Corporate Planning & Personnel) since June 2022.
A change in the political disposition in a state is often followed by a bureaucratic restructuring. But it does not take place immediately. This is what has emerged after former bureaucrat Deepak Kumar (IAS:1984:BH) was removed from the post of Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister.
It bears significance as many changes have taken place in Bihar after the BJP govt took charge, but one figure remained in place through the entire transition: Deepak Kumar. He had been former CM Nitish Kumar’s Principal Secretary and continued to serve in that capacity to the new CM, Samrat Choudhary. But Deepak Kumar is no more in that role now.
He has now been appointed vice-chairman of the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority.
This is more than a routine administrative transfer as Kumar has been a seasoned bureaucrat having been appointed Bihar’s Chief Secretary in June 2018. After receiving two extensions, he remained in the post until February 2021. Following his retirement, he was appointed Principal Secretary to then CM Nitish Kumar.
That is why govt’s decision raises questions: why was Deepak Kumar suddenly moved out of the Chief Minister’s Secretariat?
The government has not yet given an obvious reason. As he has been assigned responsibility at the Disaster Management Authority, it would not be appropriate to describe the government’s move as punitive at this point.
But the question is significant, however, because Deepak Kumar has long been regarded as one of Nitish Kumar’s trusted officials. Keeping him on in the CMO even after his retirement in 2021 was itself a sign of the government’s confidence in him.
There were also allegations about his family members, including his wife’s appointment to the State Woman Commission. But these allegations are yet to be established with reports of differing responses from the people concerned.
It is therefore not necessary to assume that these allegations explain Deepak Kumar’s removal. The real question is whether the Samrat Choudhary government wants to shape the Chief Minister’s Office entirely around his own administrative approach and his preferred team of officers.
It seems to be a plausible reason, as many changes have been made in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat after power changed hands. In May, some senior officials associated with Nitish Kumar’s tenure were moved out of the CMO and given new assignments. Despite that, Deepak Kumar remained in the Secretariat. So, his removal now may be seen as a more consequential administrative signal than an ordinary reshuffle.
At the same time, it would be premature to link Deepak Kumar’s removal to political pressure or any other specific cause at this juncture.
Gurugram, October 1, 2026: REC Limited successfully concluded the REC Swachhata Inter-School Cricket Tournament, organised under the nationwide Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 campaign at Guru Dronacharya Sports Academy Cricket Ground, Sector 82, Gurugram.
The two-day leather-ball T10 tournament witnessed participation from eight schools across Gurugram, promoting sportsmanship, teamwork, discipline and cleanliness.
Organised by UDAAN, REC’s Sports & Wellness Club, the tournament was held in line with the company’s commitment to community engagement and the objectives of the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign.
The participating schools were Amity International School-43, DAV Public School Sector-14, Raman Munjal Vidya Mandir, Amity International School-46, Summer Field School, Blue Bells Model School Sector-10, Suncity School and Presidium School. Matches were played in a knockout format over two days, with winning teams advancing to the final.
In the final, Summer Field School defeated the competition to emerge as champions, while DAV Public School Sector-14 was the other finalist. The event saw enthusiastic participation from students, teachers and supporters.
Through the tournament, REC continued its efforts to promote youth development and wellness through sports while encouraging teamwork, responsibility and awareness of cleanliness under the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign.
New Delhi: Raj Kumar (IIS:1995), currently posted as Additional Director General (M&C) (Senior Administrative Grade) at the Press Information Bureau (PIB), New Delhi, has been promoted to the Director General level (Selection Grade) of the Indian Information Service (IIS) Group ‘A’.
According to an order issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on October 1, 2026, the promotion has been granted on a provisional basis in Level 15 of the Pay Matrix, effective from the date he assumes charge of the post and until further orders.
Following the promotion, Raj Kumar will continue at his present place of posting on an “as is where is” basis until further orders.
The order states that the promotion is against a temporary vacancy arising from the deputation of a senior officer.
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has extended the re-employment of retired IAS officer Rakesh Kumar Singh-II (IAS:2009:UP) as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) and Noida International Airport Limited for another year, until September 30, 2027.
According to an order issued by the state government’s Industrial Development Department on September 30, 2026, Singh’s re-employment will continue from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027.
Singh retired from service on September 30, 2025, and was reappointed on a contract basis for one year, enabling him to continue in both positions until September 30, 2026. The latest order extends his tenure for a further year.
New Delhi: Senior IAS officer Narendra Bhooshan (IAS:1992:UP) has assumed charge as Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India. He succeeds Tanmay Kumar (IAS:1993:RJ), who retired on September 30, 2026.
Before this appointment, Bhooshan was serving as Secretary, Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development. He brings over three decades of administrative experience across the Central and Uttar Pradesh governments.
During his career in Uttar Pradesh, Bhooshan held several senior positions, including Additional Chief Secretary, Energy and Additional Energy Source, and Technical Education. He also served as Principal Secretary in the Public Works Department (PWD), Infrastructure and Industrial Development, IT and Electronics, Science and Technology, and Panchayati Raj departments.
His other assignments in the state included Chief Executive Officer, Greater Noida Authority, and District Magistrate of Mathura, Firozabad and Udham Singh Nagar.
At the Centre, Bhooshan has served as Deputy Director General, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI); Mission Director, National Food Security Management; and Joint Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Cooperation. He also served as Officer on Special Duty at the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Bhooshan holds a graduate degree in Electronics and a master’s degree in International Development Policy from Duke University, USA. His professional training includes programmes related to public finance, infrastructure and climate-change preparedness.
New Delhi: Three Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officers have been in-situ promoted to the grade of Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (Level 16 of the Pay Matrix) for the panel year 2026.
The officers promoted are Sunita Singh (IRS-IT:1994), Priya Ranjan Ghosh (IRS-IT:1994), and Manas Mehrotra (IRS-IT:1995).
The in-situ promotions place the three officers in the Chief Commissioner of Income Tax grade for the 2026 panel year.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday tried to contain a controversy over the sudden deletion of contempt petitions concerning the deputation of IPS officers to the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) from the cause list, saying “sometimes too much heat is generated out of nothing.”
The contempt petitions had suddenly been found deleted from the cause list on September 29 when a bench comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Manoj Misra was to begin hearing.
The apex court has now advanced joint hearing of connected cases to October 15.
The SC bench had sought an explanation from the registry on why the contempt matters, which had been judicially directed to be listed on September 29, were dropped from the cause list.
The CJI had then constituted a special bench to hear the matter, which was placed before it on Wednesday, along with a separate batch challenging a new law framed by the Centre formalising IPS deputations in CAPFs.
The bench accepted the registry’s explanation, but said the registry ought to have informed the bench that the matters were likely to be listed before a special bench.
The controversy had erupted on Tuesday after lawyers appearing on behalf of the petitioners informed the Justice Bhuyan-led bench that the matters, which had been specifically directed to be listed on September 29, had suddenly disappeared from the cause list. The bench had then directed the registry to explain why the case had been struck off despite a judicial order.
The special bench read out the registry’s note on Wednesday and said that counsel appearing for the Centre and writ petitioners had made a mentioning before the CJI on September 23 seeking that the contempt and writ petitions be placed before the same bench. The matter, however, was subsequently listed inadvertently before Justice Bhuyan’s bench on September 29, while the CJI had ordered that the two sets of cases be placed before a special bench.
Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for the contempt petitioners, had termed the episode a matter of “institutional credibility.”
Despite enjoying good rapport with Haryana Chief Minister senior IAS officer Arun Gupta (IAS:1992:HY) retired on Friday without getting an extension. He was serving as Principal Secretary to the CM and holding the charge of Finance Secretary.
The state govt had to issue his retirement orders after getting no response from the Centre on its proposal seeking a one-year extension of his service.
Though there is speculation about his possible re-employment, a major bureaucratic reshuffle is also on the cards.
In the meantime, names of several officers are doing the rounds for the key post — including one officer currently on central deputation and two senior officers. Sources, however, indicate the possibility of Gupta’s re-employment could still not be ruled out.
What has fuelled the speculation about his re-entry into a govt post is the skipping of the customary farewell tea party hosted by the Haryana IAS Officers’ Association on the retirement of an IAS officer.
The Association, however, extended its wishes to Gupta on his superannuation but desisted from organising a farewell party for him.
If govt sources are to be believed, Gupta could be granted three months of re-employment as Principal Secretary to the CM against the cadre post under the rules. Another option for the state govt is to give him another important assignment.
New Delhi: Senior IAS officer Puneet Kansal (IAS:1996:SK), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, has been entrusted with the additional charge of Chairman, Airports Authority of India (AAI) for a period of three months.
The post fell vacant following the lateral appointment of incumbent Vipin Kumar (IAS:1996:BH) as Additional Secretary, Department of Rural Development.
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