Sunil Kumar (IRAS:1995) has been given a one-year extension as Additional Registrar General in the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training on March 26, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs. His tenure has been extended beyond May 7, 2026 for one year or until further orders.
He has been serving in this post since August 2024.
Earlier, he was appointed as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in April 2019 for five years. He took charge on May 7, 2019. He completed his deputation and was relieved from the ministry on May 7, 2024.
After that, in August 2024, he was appointed in the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner. His deputation was treated as a combined tenure of seven years till May 7, 2026.
Now, his tenure has been extended by one more year.
Chanchal Kumar IAS is a senior IAS officer who has recently been appointed as the Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. This is a very important role, as the ministry handles media, communication, and information across the country.
A 1992-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Bihar cadre, Kumar brings with him more than three decades of administrative experience spanning grassroots governance, state administration and key assignments at the Centre.
Chanchal Kumar IAS – Biography (Quick Facts)
Full Name: Chanchal Kumar
Service: Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
Batch: 1992
Cadre: Bihar
Date of Birth: July 6, 1969
Age: Around 56 years (as of 2025)
Birthplace: Madhubani, Bihar
Chanchal Kumar Biography and Age
Talking about Chanchal Kumar Biography, he was born on July 6, 1969, in Madhubani district of Bihar. Based on this, Chanchal Kumar Age is around 56 years (as of 2025).
He completed his early education in his village and later went for higher studies. He is highly educated and has studied at top institutions.
Chanchal Kumar Education and Marks
Chanchal Kumar studied B.Tech and M.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Kanpur. Later, he completed a Master’s degree in Economics from Duke University (USA) and also earned a PhD from Patna University.
Although exact Chanchal Kumar Marks are not publicly available, his academic journey shows that he has always been a bright and hardworking student.
Chanchal Kumar Batch and Career
Chanchal Kumar Batch is 1992, and he belongs to the Bihar cadre. He joined the IAS at a very young age of just 22 years, which shows his early success. His early career was rooted in field administration, beginning as Sub-Divisional Magistrate in Supaul. He went on to serve as District Magistrate in key districts including Kaimur, Bokaro (now in Jharkhand), East Champaran and Nalanda, handling critical governance and development responsibilities.
He also served as Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC) in Katihar and Palamu, gaining significant experience in rural development and district-level planning.
Career Highlights
Joined IAS at the age of 22
Started as Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Supaul
Served as District Magistrate in multiple districts (Kaimur, Bokaro, East Champaran, Nalanda)
Worked as Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC) in Katihar & Palamu
Held key roles in Bihar CM Office under Nitish Kumar
Served as Principal Secretary (2016–2022)
Work in Bihar Government
A major phase of his career was spent in the Chief Minister’s Office in Bihar under Nitish Kumar. Over the years, he held several key roles including Special Secretary, Secretary and Principal Secretary. As Principal Secretary between 2016 and 2022, he played a central role in policy formulation, governance reforms and administrative coordination.
In addition to his role in the CMO, Kumar also served as Principal Secretary in important departments such as General Administration and Building Construction, where he handled core governance and infrastructure-related matters.
Central Government Roles
At the central level, Chanchal Kumar IAS has worked in many important roles. He served as the Managing Director of NHIDCL from 2022 to 2023, where he handled major infrastructure projects. He also worked as an Officer on Special Duty in the Civil Aviation Ministry.
Apart from this, he held roles in the Ministries of Commerce and Railways. In 2023, he was appointed as Secretary in the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), where he focused on development and connectivity projects in the Northeast region.
Central Government Roles
Managing Director, NHIDCL (2022–2023)
Officer on Special Duty, Civil Aviation Ministry
Worked in Commerce and Railways Ministries
Secretary, Ministry of DoNER (2023)
Chanchal Kumar IAS Posting (Current)
As per the latest update, Chanchal Kumar IAS Posting is Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. This is one of the most important positions in the government.
Chanchal Kumar Wife and Family
There is very limited public information available about Chanchal Kumar Wife and family, as he keeps his personal life private.
Chanchal Kumar IAS is known for his strong education and long administrative experience. From working at the ground level to handling top government positions, his journey is very inspiring. His new role in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry will be important, especially in today’s fast-changing media world.
In an important development involving the Telangana bureaucracy, senior IAS officer Jayesh Ranjan (IAS:1992:TG), currently posted as Special Chief Secretary of the Information Technology, Electronics, and Communication departments, was issued contempt notices by the High Court on Tuesday. The contempt of court notices have been issued to Ranjan in connection with a writ petition questioning the government’s new advertising policy of 2026.
The contempt case was filed by M/s Telangana Outdoor Media Owners Association and three others, alleging that the government had wilfully disobeyed the HC order in a writ petition it had filed.
High Court Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar has directed the IAS officer to appear before it in person or through an advocate on April 9 and explain the government’s stand in the matter.
According to the association, the High Court had instructed the IAS officer to consider the representations of outdoor media owners and give them a fair hearing before deciding on the advertising policy. The petition alleges that the government finalised the policy without considering their representations on points such as permitting advertising hoardings on private buildings.
The association has argued that the govt’s decision led to serious ramifications for the livelihood of lakhs of people who depended on outdoor media and advertising-related works and the installation of hoardings.
Civil services are often seen as a path to power and position. But for some officers, the focus is on meaningful work. When that is missing, frustration can build. This appears to be the case with Rinkoo Singh Rahee (IAS:2023:UP). He resigned from service on Tuesday.
Rahi said he was not getting a chance to serve people in the way he expected. He was not satisfied with the work given to him. He felt the responsibilities assigned to him did not match his idea of public service.
He alleged that he had not been given any ‘meaningful’ posting for a prolonged period and was thus denied the opportunity to serve the public, although he continued receiving salary.
The Rahi claimed he was kept in an “attached” position, which he disliked.
He was nearly killed after assailants shot at him multiple times when he busted a major scam in his department when he was posted with the Welfare Department in Muzaffarnagar as a Provincial Civil Service (PCS) officer before being selected as IAS officer through Civil Services Examination.
On July 28, 2025, he was appointed as the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Puwayan, Shahjahanpur, but was removed from his post just after 36 hours of assuming charge.
Similarly, Rahi was transferred and attached to the U.P. Revenue Board after a video of him doing sit-ups amid a protest by lawyers in Shahjahanpur went viral on social media.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Tuesday (March 31, 2026) approved a large number of appointments at the Additional Secretary level, triggering a significant reshuffle across key ministries and departments of the Government of India.
The names of the officers and their postings are as follows;
1. Puneet Kansal (IAS:1996:SK), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation by temporarily upgrading a vacant post of Joint Secretary in the Ministry.
2. Mona K. Khandar (IAS:1996:GJ), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
3. Faiz Ahmed Kidwai (IAS:1996:MP), Director General, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training.
4. Vir Vikram Yadav (IAS:1996:OR), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, has been appointed as Director General, Directorate General of Civil Aviation in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary vice Shri Faiz Ahmed Kidwai upon his appointment as Additional Secretary, DoPT.
5. Gyanendra D. Tripathi (IAS:1998:AM), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research & Education and Secretary, ICAR, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
6. Vishal Gagan (IAS:1998:OR), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Secretary, Central Information Commission in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.
7. N. Gulzar (IAS:AP:1999), Additional Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, has been appointed as Member Secretary, National Capital Region Planning Board, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.
8. Diwakar Nath Misra (IAS:AM:2000), Additional Secretary, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power.
9. Debasish Prusty (IRTS:2000), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance.
10. Sridhar Chirvolu (IAS:2001:BH), Joint Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office.
11. Arti Kanwar (IAS:2001:GJ), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Textiles vice Rohit Kansal upon his appointment as Secretary, Department of Rural Development.
12. Darpan Jain (IAS:2001:KN), Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
13. Lokhande Prashant Sitaram (IAS:2001:AGMUT), Joint Secretary, Department of Home, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs.
14. Ankita Mishra Bundela (IAS:2001:AGMUT), Joint Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
15. Vijay Nehra (IAS:2001:GJ), Joint Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare.
16. Siddharth Jain (IAS:2001:AP), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation.
17. Neetu Kumari Prasad (IAS:2001:TG), Joint Secretary, Department of Fisheries, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance vice Diwakar Nath Misra upon his appointment as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power.
18. Anuj Sharma (IDES:1991), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs.
19. Meenaxi Rawat (IES:1993), CVO, BPCL, has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.
20. Ansumann Pattnaik (IRS-IT:1994), Director General, Competition Commission of India, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
21. Yashvir Singh (IES:1996), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce by temporarily upgrading a vacant post of DS/Director.
22. Nigar Fatma Husain (IDES:1996), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
23. Aparna Bhatia (IES:1996), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
24. Hari Har Mishra (IDAS:1998), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Financial Services by temporarily upgrading a vacant post of Joint Secretary.
25. Veena Kumari Dermal (IPoS:1998), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Mines vice Shri Sanjay Lohiya upon his appointment as Special Secretary, Department of Financial Services.
In-situ Upgradation
Sarita Chauhan Chand (IAS:1999:AGMUT), Joint Secretary, DARPG, has been upgraded in-situ as Additional Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances.
Pankaj Yadav (IAS:2001:HY), Joint Secretary, Department of Rural Development, has been upgraded in-situ as Additional Secretary, Department of Rural Development.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) Tuesday (March 31, 2026) approved a series of key appointments and reshuffles at the Secretary level across various ministries and departments in the Government of India.
The names of the officers and their postings are as follows;
Nivedita Shukla Verma (IAS:1991:UP), Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. She will also hold additional charge as Secretary, Department of Pensions and Pensioners’ Welfare.
Chanchal Kumar (IAS:1992:BH), Secretary, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
Narendra Bhooshan (IAS:1992:UP), currently serving in the cadre as Additional Chief Secretary, Energy & Additional Energy Source Deptt & Technical Education, Uttar Pradesh, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development.
Chandra Sekhar Kumar (IAS:1992:OR), Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs, has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer, National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, in the rank and pay of Secretary.
Sanjay Jaju (IAS:1992:TG), Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region(DoNER) vice Chanchal Kumar (IAS:1992:BH).
Srivatsa Krishna (IAS:1994:KN), Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs in place of Chandra Sekhar Kumar (IAS:1992:OR).
Tejveer Singh (IAS:1994:PB), currently serving in the cadre as Additional Chief Secretary, Technical Education & Industrial Training, Punjab, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals in place of Nivedita Shukla Verma (IAS:1991:UP) upon her new assignment.
Sanjay Lohiya (IAS:1994:AM), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Mines, has been appointed as Special Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance by temporarily upgrading a vacant post of Joint Secretary. He will take over as Secretary, Department of Financial Services after the superannuation of Nagaraju Maddirala (IAS:1993:TR) on May 31, 2026.
Rohit Kansal (IAS:1995:AGMUT), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development vice Shailesh Kumar Singh (IAS:1991:JH) upon his superannuation on March 31, 2026.
Bharat Harbanslal Khera (IAS: 1995:HP), Additional Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in the rank and pay of Secretary. He will take over as Secretary, MSME after the superannuation of Subhas Chandra Lal Das (IAS: 1992:AGMUT) on April 30, 2026.
Abhishek Singh (IAS:1995:NL), Director General, National Informatics Centre (NIC), Ministry of Electronics and IT, has been appointed as Director General, National Testing Agency (NTA), Ministry of Education, in the rank and pay of Secretary by temporarily upgrading the post.
Bhuvnesh Kumar (IAS:1995:UP), Chief Executive Officer, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Tourism vice Srivatsa Krishna (IAS:1994:KN).
In addition, the ACC has approved in-situ upgradation of the following officers to the level of Special Secretary in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India as a measure personal to them:
Sanjay Rastogi (IAS:1991:OR), Director General, National Archives of India, Ministry of Culture, has been upgraded and designated as Director General, National Archives of India in the rank and pay of Secretary.
Sajjan Singh Yadav (IAS: 1995:AGMUT), Additional Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, has been upgraded as Special Secretary, Department of Expenditure.
The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday dismissed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the transfer of senior bureaucrats and police officials by the Election Commission of India (ECI) after announcing the Assembly elections.
While dismissing the PIL, a bench of Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen said that the ECI had taken administrative decisions to transfer officers and the scope of judicial review is limited in such matters.
The ECI had transferred 23 IAS and police officers after announcing elections for the Bengal Assembly on March 15, 2026.
Advocate Arka Kumar Nag had filed the PIL seeking quashing of transfer orders. The petitioner argued that the large-scale transfer of officers, including the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, DGP, and several district magistrates, was arbitrary.
But the bench refused to interfere with the transfer orders while remarking that the judgment will not come in the way of the aggrieved individual officers challenging their transfer orders.
The court noted that the petitioner had not pleaded regarding any breach of any legislation passed by the Centre or the state, nor did the petition plead that the commission did not have the authority or jurisdiction to shift or transfer officers.
The bench further remarked that a similar or greater number of transfers/postings of officers had taken place nationwide, and merely because the ECI had transferred a sizable number of officers, it cannot be said that the action is arbitrary, capricious, or mala fide.
The Bengal govt had denounced the transfers of bureaucrats holding crucial positions in the state on the eve of elections as an arbitrary act aimed at disrupting governance. The Mamata Banerjee govt went on to charge the Election Commission with acting with malicious intentions.
In an interesting turn of events, a Special Judge of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in Jharkhand allowed default bail to suspended IAS officer Vinay Choubey (IAS:1999:JH). Choubey was granted default bail in a disproportionate assets case, as the chargesheet was not filed within the prescribed period by the ACB.
The officer has been in judicial custody in the case since Jan 28, 2026.
Choubey moved a petition on March 30, seeking the default bail on the ground that the ACB had not submitted the chargesheet within the stipulated period of 60 days of the judicial remand of the accused person.
He, however, will not be able to come out of jail, as he is in custody in connection with another case related to the Hazaribag land scam case.
Former Gujarat cadre IPS officer Vikas Sahay (IPS:1989:GJ) has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Organising Committee for the World Police and Fire Games. These games are scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad in 2029, a year ahead of the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
The Home Department of the Gujarat government issued a notification on March 30, 2026, to this effect. According to the notification, Sahay’s appointment will come into effect from the date he assumes charge.
The government has said that the terms and conditions of the appointment will be notified separately.
This crucial responsibility has been assigned to Sahay within just three months after his retirement from the post of the DGP of the state in December 2025.
The Police Games are a mega event with thousands of police personnel, firefighters, and first responders from across the world expected to participate in them. Sahay’s appointment is being seen as a key move to prepare the city for the Commonwealth Games in 2030 with an aim to strengthen its position as a global sporting hub.
Sahay said he will ensure that these games meet global standards and showcase Ahmedabad’s capability on the world stage.
For the first time after his exit on March 18, former HDFC Bank Chairman Atanu Chakraborty opened up about reasons behind his decision to step down from his post. Chakraborty reflected on it in an interview with CNBC-TV18, saying his decision was not triggered by a single event, but it was the culmination of a simmering sense of “incongruence” over the past two years.
A former bureaucrat, Chakraborty had joined the bank’s board nearly five years ago as a non-executive, independent chairman. He occupied a position that was part of one of the most transformative phases in the HDFC’s history—including its landmark merger with HDFC Ltd, the monetisation of Credila, and the IPO of HDB Financial Services.
His resignation resulted in the bank’s shares falling sharply even as questions persist over what triggered the move and whether it points to deeper governance concerns.
Chakraborty says his resignation letter was self-explanatory, as it described an “incongruence” between his value framework and the bank’s approach. He adds that it was when such a “dilemma’ arose that made him take a decision.
Though he refrained from sharing information about the boardroom discussions, he pointed to a specific episode that had already entered the public domain—issues flagged in the bank’s Dubai operations, dating back to 2018, involving customer onboarding and conduct lapses that drew regulatory scrutiny both domestically and overseas.
Chakraborty cites delays in taking corrective measures related to accountability as one major reason, saying that penalties against officials involved in the mis-selling of AT1 bonds in Dubai in September last year came several years after the lapses occurred, raising questions over the timeliness of corrective action.
He says that though the institution executed big-ticket strategic actions, deeper discomfort was building beneath the surface.
According to the CNBC report, at the heart of his resignation laid what he repeatedly described as a mismatch of frameworks. It was “incongruence” between his own understanding of values, ethics, and governance and the interpretation or prioritisation of those within the bank that led him to decide to quit.
The distinction between reactive correction and proactive ethical alignment appears central to his unease that finally led to his exit from the bank.
While seeking to dispel speculation that leadership continuity may have been a factor behind his exit, Chakraborty says that the question of CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan’s reappointment was never discussed during his tenure. He clarified that personality differences had been overstated and were not a determining factor in his decision to step down. The issues, he suggested, ran deeper than individual equations.
At the core of his concerns was the alignment of governance structures. Incentive frameworks and oversight of management and board-level decision-making, he said, must remain firmly anchored to the interests of depositors—a principle that assumes greater significance in the banking sector, where public trust is paramount.
Chakraborty’s thinking is clear: for an independent director, the mandate goes beyond oversight of performance metrics and extends into safeguarding probity, ensuring transparency, and aligning business conduct with the long-term interests of depositors and shareholders. He talks about the importance of public trust in the banking business, saying these are not abstract ideals but operational imperatives.
Chakraborty raises a basic question to explain his thinking when he points out that post-facto disciplinary actions — including exits and penalties for senior officials—while necessary, do not address the more fundamental question: why were such issues not prevented or “nipped in the bud” in the first place?
According to him, when customer impact is widespread and regulatory attention sustained, the matter transcends technicalities and enters the realm of conduct and culture.
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