Nirmod Kumar (IRSEE:2006) has been granted a two-year extension in his central deputation as Director in the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training on Tuesday (February 17, 2026), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the proposal to extend his deputation tenure for two years beyond February 22, 2026, up to February 22, 2028, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Notably, Nirmod Kumar has been serving in this position since February 23, 2021, when he was appointed for a five-year tenure. Just before the conclusion of this tenure, the ACC approved a further extension of two years.
Rajesh Gupta (IRSEE:2001) has been granted a two-year extension in his central deputation as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training on Tuesday (February 17, 2026), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the proposal to extend his deputation tenure for two years beyond April 15, 2026, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Notably, Rajesh Gupta has been serving in this position since October 2024, when he was shifted from NITI Aayog. He had been appointed as Director in NITI Aayog in April 2022 for a five-year tenure.
A major political controversy has erupted in Punjab over the DGP, Gaurav Yadav, and the state’s Chief Secretary (CS), KAP Sinha, addressing the state government’s “anti-drug” gathering at Killi Chahlan village in Moga district on Monday.
The government and the Opposition are now fighting over the ‘true character’ of the gathering, with the state’s Bhagwant Mann government claiming that the gathering was an official “state event” under the Yuddh Nasheyan Viruddh campaign and the Opposition alleging that the gathering was purely an “AAP political rally,” where the DGP and Chief Secretary (CS) also shared the stage with politicians. The Opposition is alleging that the AAP govt is politicizing bureaucracy.
While addressing the gathering, the DGP said that it is Punjab that is fighting the country’s war against drugs, being a border state with the Punjab Police making an unprecedented recovery of over 2000 kg of heroin in just one year. He also claimed that Punjab’s conviction rate in NDPS cases is 90 percent, among the highest in the country.
CS Sinha, in his address, said that Punjab has started a war against drugs and lauded the state govt for its political will, adding that political will is the most important thing for any state to take strict action, and today, with all our leadership on stage, it shows that it is 100 percent.
What added spice to the Opposition’s claim was CM Bhagwant Mann’s post on X before leaving for Moga, saying that the event was a “massive AAP rally.”
It prompted BJP state president Sunil Jakhar to post on X: “Watching the Chief Secretary and DGP at AAP’s rally today, one wonders if India’s ‘steel frame’ bureaucrats are now bending to political whims. Isn’t this a flagrant breach of All India Service Rules? He went on to allege that the AAP govt is politicising the bureaucracy.
Punjab BJP general secretary Anil Sarin also questioned the presence of AAP’s national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, at the event if it was “Punjab government’s official event.” He asked what Kejriwal was doing in the government’s official events.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has even urged Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria as well as the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take note of the manner in which government funds were used to hold AAP’s rally.
The SAD leadership made a pointed attack, claiming that the manner in which the DGP and Chief Secretary were forced to address a political rally is highly condemnable, adding further that the state bureaucracy was being politicised which is not good for democracy.
Congress leaders too joined the fray, calling it a “dangerous new low for Punjab.” Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa philosophized it, saying when the lines between government and political party begin to blur, probity in public life is the first casualty. He said that civil servants are expected to function impartially and uphold constitutional values. Their visible association with a political event undermines public trust.
Gurdaspur Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa went a step further and dashed off a letter to the Union Minister of State for Personnel and Training, Jitendra Singh, on Tuesday, raising serious objections over Chief Secretary and DGP sharing the dias at Moga with Arvind Kejriwal and other ruling party leaders.
Randhawa raised the question of institutional credibility along with constitutional and legal issues. He called on the DoPT to obtain a detailed report and review any potential breach of the All India Services Conduct Rules. According to him, a serving DGP and Chief Secretary sharing the stage with political masters is a grave violation of All India Service Conduct Rules and constitutional propriety.
The central deputation tenure of IAS officer Prabhat Kumar (IAS:2011:JH)as Director of Census Operations (DCO) and Director of Citizen Registration (DCR), Jharkhand, has been extended until October 9, 2027. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training on Tuesday (February 17, 2026), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the proposal to continue his deputation beyond March 31, 2026, up to October 9, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Prabhat Kumar had assumed charge of the post on October 10, 2022, initially for a tenure up to December 31, 2025. His tenure was subsequently extended to March 31, 2026, and with the latest approval, his total central deputation will now complete a full five-year term ending in October 2027.
The Election Commission of India is examining a report sent by West Bengal Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravorty. The report is about steps taken on the Commission’s directions related to election work. This includes higher payment for booth-level officers (BLOs) and action against officials accused of breaking rules during the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists.
Officials said the report was submitted before the 5:00 PM deadline on Monday, February 16. The Commission is currently on an official visit to Assam. It will study the report after returning. West Bengal is likely to face Assembly elections in the coming weeks, so preparations are being closely watched.
At a meeting held on February 13, the Commission had asked the state to release the revised honorarium for BLOs and their supervisors without delay. It also directed payment for officials involved in the voter list revision work. The Commission had earlier increased the annual payment for BLOs and supervisors. It also approved honorarium for electoral registration officers and assistant electoral registration officers to strengthen ground-level election work.
The Commission had also ordered that FIRs be filed against officials who are found to have deliberately violated election rules. It has stressed the need for accountability, transparency and clean voter rolls before the Assembly polls.
The review of the state’s response will help the Commission assess how prepared West Bengal is for the upcoming elections and whether its directions are being properly followed.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) gave a new posting to senior IAS officer V Hekali Zhimomi (IAS:1996:UP). She had been waiting for an assignment since she returned from central deputation in November 2025. She has now been appointed Principal Secretary, Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department.
With her appointment, Anil Kumar-3 (IAS:1998:UP) has been relieved of the Forest portfolio. He was earlier holding charge of the Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department along with the Panchayati Raj Department.
V Hekali Zhimomi was sent back to her parent cadre, Uttar Pradesh, on November 8, 2025. At that time, she was serving as Additional Secretary in the Department of Health & Family Welfare at the Centre. She had gone on central deputation in September 2021 as Joint Secretary in the same department for a five-year term till September 2026. However, she was repatriated almost a year before completing her tenure.
They will now be eligible for posting as IG or in equivalent ranks in central police organisations and other Union government offices, depending on vacancies and further orders.
In a significant move, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) waived the mandatory cooling-off period for central deputation in respect of Sadanand S Date(IPS:2007:UK). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs to relax the provisions of the IPS Tenure Policy, granting him exemption from the three-year cooling-off requirement.
Date had recently returned to his parent cadre, Uttarakhand, after completing a seven-year tenure in the Central Bureau of Investigation. He was inducted into the CBI as Superintendent of Police in 2018 for an initial five-year term, during which he was promoted to Deputy Inspector General. His deputation was subsequently extended by two years until August 2025, following which he was repatriated with the stipulated cooling-off period.
Known for his integrity and meticulous working style, Sadanand S Date headed the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch in Mumbai as DIG for nearly three years and supervised several high-profile investigations. He was also conferred the President’s Police Medal for meritorious service on the occasion of Republic Day 2026.
The relaxation of the cooling-off period indicates that the central government may seek to utilise his services again at the Centre.
IAS officer P Hemalatha(IAS:2000:KN), Development Commissioner, SEZ, Cochin, has been granted ex-post facto entrustment of additional charge as Chairman of theMarine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Cochin.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training on Tuesday (February 17, 2026), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the proposal of the Department of Commerce for ex-post facto approval of the additional charge held by her for the period from December 18, 2025 to January 2, 2026.
P Hemalatha has also recently received a three-month extension in the post of Secretary,Spices Board, at the Joint Secretary level. She has been holding this responsibility in additional capacity since January 2025.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training on Tuesday (February 17, 2026), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the proposal of the Ministry of Tourism for his repatriation.
Mebanshailang R Synrem had assumed charge of the Joint Secretary post in January 2023 for a tenure of five years, which was originally scheduled to continue until January 2028. However, with the latest decision, he is returning to his cadre nearly two years ahead of the completion of his approved tenure.
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