Maneesh Kumar (IFoS:2011:MH), currently serving as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Mines, has been re-designated as Director. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (29.04.2025), the competent authority has approved the proposal to re-designate Mr. Kumar ’s post to Director level with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the re-designated post, and for a period up to January 13, 2027.
It is noteworthy that Maneesh Kumar began his central deputation on January 14, 2021, and has been serving as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Mines since March 26, 2024.
Hari Kumar R has been appointed as Director (Research & Development), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). According to order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (29.04.2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of Department of Defence Production to appoint Mr Kumar to the post. Currently, he is serving as General Manager, BEL.
Notably, the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) conducted interviews on February 1, 2025, with 7 candidates before recommending Hari Kumar R’s name to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet for the position.
Samir Chandra Saxena has been appointed as Chairman & Managing Director (CMD), Grid Controller of India Limited (Grid-India). According to order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (29.04.2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of Ministry of Power to appoint Mr Saxena to the post. Currently, he is serving as Director (Market Operation), Grid-India.
Notably, the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) conducted interviews on January 30, 2025, with 3 candidates before recommending Samir Chandra Saxena’s name to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet for the position.
SM Ramanathan, currently serving as Executive Director, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), has been appointed as Director (Engineering, Research & Development) of the company. According to order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (29.04.2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of Ministry of Heavy Industries to appoint Mr Ramanathan to the post.
Notably, the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) conducted interviews on December 31, 2024, with 10 candidates before recommending SM Ramanathan’s name to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet for the position.
Dr. Ashok Kumar Panda, currently serving as Executive Director (F&A), Steel Authority Of India Limited(SAIL), has been appointed as Director (Finance) of the company. According to order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (29.04.2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of Ministry of Steel to appoint of Mr Panda to the post.
Notably, the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) conducted interviews on February 8, 2025, with 10 candidates before recommending Ashok Kumar Panda’s name to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet for the position.
In a significant move to strengthen the country’s strategic advisory apparatus, the Union Government on Wednesday (30.04.2025) reconstituted the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) by inducting several high-profile former officials from the armed forces, intelligence, foreign service, and police service. The move is part of a broader national security recalibration being spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following the deadliest terror strike on civilians in Pahelgaon in recent years.
Former R&AW chief Alok Joshi has been appointed as the new Chairman of the NSAB.
Among the six other newly inducted members of the seven-member board are Air Marshal PM Sinha, Lt Gen AK Singh, and Rear Admiral Monty Khanna, all representing the senior retired leadership of the armed forces.
Also joining the board are two retired IPS officers — Rajiv Ranjan Verma and Manmohan Singh — known for their extensive experience in internal security.
Rounding off the new lineup is B Venkatesh Varma, a seasoned former IFS officer, bringing deep diplomatic insight to the panel.
Karnataka is soon going to have a new state police chief as the incumbent Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP), Alok Mohan, a 1987 batch IPS officer, will be relinquishing the post on May 21.
Mohan was virtually scheduled to retire on April 30 itself, but the state government extended his tenure until May 21, 2025 to enable him to complete a minimum two-year term as DG, as stipulated by the Supreme Court in the famous Prakash Singh of 2006. Mohan had assumed office as DG&IGP on May 21, 2023. Thus, the appointment of a new police chief has been delayed by three weeks.
In the prevailing scenario, there are two names doing the rounds for the top post – Fire and Emergency Services DGPPrashant Kumar Thakur and CID Chief M A Saleem. While Thakur belongs to the 1992 batch, Saleem is from the 1993 batch.
There are two other officers who could have been in the reckoning but are ruled out of the race due to different reasons. Ramchandra Rao, a 1993 batch officer, was placed under compulsory leave after his alleged involvement in the Ranya Rao smuggling case. So, Rao is out of the race. Similarly, Malini Krishnamurthy, another officer from the 1993 batch, is scheduled to retire in July and hence crashes out of the race.
In this way, there are only two contenders left in the race for the top job – Thakur and Saleem. Here again, there is a twist. If seniority takes precedence then Thakur should be the new police chief, but political preference is said to be favouring Saleem. Against this backdrop, Saleem is reported to be racing ahead.
If the state government decides in favour of Saleem as the next DG&IGP, then he will be the first Kannada-speaking officer to head the state police force in several decades.
Ashok Khemka, a bureaucrat known for his whistle-blowing tendency, is finally bidding good-bye to bureaucracy today. His missionary zeal to weed out corruption seems to have proved his nemesis. It is duly manifested through his 57 transfers during his 34-year-old bureaucratic career. Over his entire career, Khemka was transferred about every six months on average, probably the highest among the state’s bureaucrats.
An IIT Kharagpur alumnus, this 1991-batch Haryana cadre IAS officer shot into prominence in 2012 when he cancelled the mutation of a Gurugram land deal linked to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law, Robert Vadra. But that was the flash point in his career.
In 2023, Khemka went to the extent of offering to root out corruption from Haryana. He shot off a letter to then Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar wishing to head the vigilance department for it. In the letter he wrote, “Towards the end of my service career, I offer my services to head the vigilance department to root out corruption.”
His problem was his burning desire to wage a war against corruption. Khemka in his letter to Khattar, had reportedly written, “If given an opportunity, I assure you there would be a real war against corruption and no one however high and mighty will be spared.”
But there was no taker for Khemka’s uprightness in the system, not even during the BJP regime. It is proved by the fact that he was often given a low-profile job. Just for an example, Khemka had been posted to the Archives department for the fourth time despite having served it as Director General and later as Principal Secretary. Interestingly, three of these stints were during the tenure of the BJP government.
That was perhaps the reason why Khemka once remarked that he had sacrificed his service career in his zeal to end corruption. Needless to point out then that Khemka nursed a feeling of despondency all through his career. What he once remarked in a philosophical vein, virtually sums up his feelings, “Straight trees are always cut first. No regrets,” Khemka had rued.
In line with what legendofficers.com reported on April 19, Tushar Giri Nath (IAS: 1993: KN) has been appointed as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Urban Development Department (UDD) in Karnataka. The appointment came as part of a major bureaucratic reshuffle carried out on April 28, 2025, following the superannuation of Umashankar SR(IAS:1993:KN), the outgoing ACS, UDD and Administrator of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), who is set to retire today (April 30).
Giri Nath, who was serving as Chief Commissioner of BBMP, has now been elevated to the post of ACS to Government, UDD. According to the official order, he will also hold concurrent charge of two significant positions—ACS, Home Department and Administrator, BBMP, Bengaluru.
Sources had earlier confirmed to legendofficers.com that Mr. Giri Nath was the leading contender for the UDD post—an assessment that has now been validated with his official appointment. He will play a pivotal role in steering the formation of the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the demarcation of new municipal boundaries, both key to the state’s urban governance reforms.
In a related development, Maheshwar Rao M. (IAS: 1995: KN) has been named as the new Chief Commissioner of BBMP. He will hold this role in concurrent charge with his current position as Managing Director, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday (April 30, 2025) appointed senior IPS officer Deven Bharti (IPS: 1994: MH) as the new Police Commissioner of Mumbai. He will assume charge after the current commissioner, Vivek Phansalkar (IPS: 1989: MH), is set to demit office later this evening.
A veteran officer with a distinguished record, Deven Bharti, 56, has held several critical assignments in Mumbai and across Maharashtra. In 2023, he was appointed the city’s first Special Commissioner of Police, a newly created position in Mumbai Police’s history.
He is widely known for his tenure as one of the longest-serving Joint Commissioners of Police (Law and Order) in Mumbai, overseeing the functioning of all police stations. Bharti has also served as Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) and led the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
Among his many high-profile investigations are the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and the killing of journalist J Dey. He is also credited with crippling the Indian Mujahideen’s network in the state.
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