The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has started the process to select a new Director (Projects) at GAIL (India) Limited after the post fell vacant on March 1. The vacancy arose when the incumbent Deepak Gupta assumed charge as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the company.
PESB issued the vacancy notice on March 3, 2026, inviting applications from eligible candidates for the position. Interested candidates have been asked to submit their applications through the PESB portal, with March 24, 2026 set as the last date for submission.
Notably, Gupta had been serving as Director (Projects) at GAIL since February 2022 before taking over as CMD.
Senior Punjab cadre IAS officer Kamal Kishore Yadav (IAS:2003:PB) has been reinstated after a nearly month-long suspension. He has been posted as Secretary in the General Administration and Coordination Department.
Yadav was suspended along with another IAS officer, Jaspreet Singh (IAS:2014:PB), on February 7 for the inordinate delay in the procurement of smartphones for the Anganwadi workers in the state.
While Yadav has been reinstated and given a posting, Singh is still waiting to be posted.
The Punjab government had cracked the whip last month by placing these two officers under suspension and transferring another very senior IAS officer, Vikas Pratap (IAS:1994:PB), after getting peeved at the six years of delay in implementing its orders to procure smartphones for Anganwadi workers. These triple actions had sent ripples down the spines of those in the corridors of power.
The state govt had ordered the procurement of 28,515 smartphones for Anganwadi workers when Yadav and Singh were posted in the Industry Department. Punjab Infotech, which is an arm of the Industry Department, was assigned the task of procuring the smartphones for the Social Security Department for distribution among Anganwadi workers.
Yadav now replaces Gauri Prashar Joshi (IAS:2009:PB) in the General Administration Department, as she is proceeding on a long leave.
In a major administrative change, the President of India on Thursday (March 5, 2026) appointed Taranjit Singh Sandhuas the new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. He will succeed Vinai Kumar Saxena, who has been appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh after serving in Delhi from May 2022 to March 2026.
Sandhu is a former diplomat-turned-politician and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A 1988-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), he served as India’s Ambassador to the United States from 2020 to 2024. After retiring from diplomatic service, he was nominated as the BJP’s candidate from Amritsar in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Born on January 23, 1963, in Amritsar, Punjab, Sandhu completed his BA in History from St. Stephen’s College and later obtained an MA in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Diplomatic Career Sandhu began his diplomatic career in 1988 with an early posting in the former Soviet Union. In 1992, he was part of the team that helped establish India’s embassy in newly independent Ukraine. Over the years, he held several key assignments including at India’s mission to the United Nations, as Consul General in Frankfurt, and as Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington, D.C..
He later served as India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka from 2017 to 2020 before being appointed Ambassador to the United States. During his tenure in Washington from 2020 to 2024, Sandhu played a key role in strengthening India–US relations, including facilitating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the United States in 2023.
Political Transition After retiring from diplomatic service in February 2024, Sandhu joined the BJP in March the same year. His entry into politics placed him among a group of former diplomats who transitioned to political roles, including S. Jaishankar and Hardeep Singh Puri.
Family Background Sandhu belongs to a prominent Sikh family with a long legacy in public life. His grandfather, Teja Singh Samundri, was a noted freedom fighter and a founding member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). His father, Bishan Singh Samundri, founded Guru Nanak Dev University and also served as Principal of Khalsa College Amritsar.
His wife, Reenat Sandhu, is also a former officer of the Indian Foreign Service of 1989 batch. She retired in 2024 after a distinguished diplomatic career during which she served in several important assignments, including as India’s Ambassador to the Netherlands.
With decades of diplomatic experience and a recent entry into politics, Sandhu is now set to assume charge as Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor at a time when the national capital remains at the centre of administrative and political developments.
In a surprise move, the President of India on Thursday (March 5, 2026) announced several appointments and transfers of Governors and Lieutenant Governors. The decisions came after the resignation of West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose was accepted.
A press note from Rashtrapati Bhavan said Shiv Pratap Shukla, who is currently Governor of Himachal Pradesh, has been appointed Governor of Telangana.
Jishnu Dev Varma, the present Governor of Telangana, has been appointed Governor of Maharashtra.
Nand Kishore Yadav has been appointed Governor of Nagaland. Retired Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain has been appointed Governor of Bihar.
RN Ravi, who is now Governor of Tamil Nadu, has been appointed Governor of West Bengal. Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, the present Governor of Kerala, will also handle the work of Governor of Tamil Nadu.
There are changes in Union Territories as well. Kavinder Gupta, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, has been appointed Governor of Himachal Pradesh. Vinai Kumar Saxena, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, has been appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh. Taranjit Singh Sandhu has been appointed the new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.
The press note said these appointments will take effect from the day the leaders take charge of their new offices.
The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has started the process to select a new Director (Finance) for NTPC Limited. The present Director (Finance), Jaikumar Shrinivasan, will retire on December 31, 2026. The post will fall vacant on January 1, 2027.
PESB issued the vacancy notice on March 2, 2026. Eligible candidates have been asked to apply through the PESB portal. The last date to submit applications is March 23, 2026.
Shrinivasan has been serving as Director (Finance) at NTPC since July 2022.
The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has invited applications for the post of Director (Operations & Business Development) in Bharat Petro Resources Limited (BPRL). The vacancy notice was issued on February 27, 2026. Interested candidates can apply through the PESB portal. The last date to apply is March 20, 2026.
The post became vacant on January 30, 2026.
This is the second time PESB has issued a notice for the same post. Earlier, the vacancy was advertised on September 23, 2025. At that time it was mentioned that the post would fall vacant on May 31, 2026, when the then Director, Krishnakant Joshi, was due to retire.
However, the latest notice shows that the post fell vacant earlier on January 30, 2026.
The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) is likely to hold interviews for the post of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) on March 16, sources said. The present CMD Sanjay Swarupwill retire on July 31, 2026, after reaching the age of superannuation.
PESB had invited applications for the post on October 10, 2025. The last date to apply was November 2, 2025. The applications have already been shortlisted.
With interviews expected soon, the selection process for the top post at the Navratna PSU is moving towards its final stage.
The post of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) will soon fall vacant. The present CMD, Amarendu Prakash, will demit office on April 2, 2026.
With his retirement nearing, the focus has shifted to who will succeed him.
Five members of the SAIL Board are seen as possible contenders. They are Priya Ranjan, Director-in-charge of Bokaro Steel Plant. Surajit Mishra, Director-in-charge of Burnpur and Durgapur Steel Plants. Ashok Kumar Panda, Director (Finance). Alok Verma, Director-in-charge of Rourkela Steel Plant. And Manish Raj Gupta, Director (Technical, Projects & Raw Materials).
The government will make the final appointment after the selection process. The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) invited applications for the post on February 5. February 26 was the last date to apply. The application process is now over and the interview schedule is expected to be announced soon.
After the interviews, PESB will recommend a name to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). The ACC will take the final decision.
With several senior officers in the race, the selection of the next CMD of the Maharatna steel PSU is likely to draw attention in the coming weeks.
The Andhra Pradesh High Court passed an interim order on Monday granting protection to senior Bihar cadre IPS officer Sunil Nayak (IPS:2005:BH) by directing the Andhra Police not to initiate any coercive action against him while directing Nayak to appear before the investigating officer on or before March 5 and join the investigation on a daily basis from 10am to 5pm.
Nayak is currently posted as IG of the Fire Services Department in Bihar, and the case relates to the alleged custodial torture of former MP and current Deputy Andhra Assembly Speaker K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju. The incident took place in 2021 when Nayak, on deputation to Andhra Pradesh, was serving as DIG in the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Andhra Police.
Ramakrishna Raju had lodged the complaint naming Nayak as one of the accused, alleging that Nayak was involved in his custodial torture after being arrested by the Crime Investigation Department (CID).
A single-judge bench of Justice Venkata Jyothirmayee Prathapa issued the order while hearing an anticipatory bail petition filed by the IPS officer. The court directed the police to take up the inquiry within the framework of the law and instructed the IPS officer to cooperate in the inquiry.
The High Court has posted the matter for further hearing on March 9.
It needs to be recalled here that Andhra Pradesh police had recently arrested Nayak in Patna, but he had to be let off by the Andhra Police after being denied the requisite transit remand by the jurisdictional magistrate there.
Senior Mizoram IPS officer Shankar Chaudhary (IPS:2011:AGMUT) has been denied anticipatory bail by a Delhi court in connection with an illegal detention and bribery case.
The officer is facing criminal allegations of conducting unauthorised raids in Delhi, illegally detaining several persons, and demanding a bribe from a foreign national in 2023.
While refusing the bail, Special Judge (NDPS) Manu Goel Kharb said the offences committed by Chaudhary “undermine the integrity of the justice system, erode public trust, and tarnish the image of police as a whole.”
The case is related to alleged police operations conducted between November 21 and 29, 2023, when Chaudhary was posted as Superintendent of Police (Narcotics) in Mizoram.
According to the prosecution, Chaudhary led a Mizoram Police team in Delhi that allegedly carried out raids without authority, conducted searches and seizures without preparing mandatory documentation such as seizure memos or panchnamas, and detained several individuals without formal arrest or production before a magistrate within the stipulated time.
In this way, the court, in its order on Feb 28, said that the vigilance inquiry conducted at the behest of the Ministry of Home Affairs and considering the seriousness of the offences, Chaudhary did not deserve anticipatory bail. He earlier served as DCP in the Delhi Police but was later transferred to the Mizoram Police.
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