Tenures of MOSPI Secretary Garg, CBDT chief Agrawal extended
New Delhi, July 14
The government has extended the tenure of Statistics and Programme Implementation Secretary Saurabh Garg by another year and the term of the Central Board of Direct Taxes Chairman Ravi Agrawal by six months and promoted two IPS officers as Joint Directors in the CBI in a string of decisions covering various posts at the Centre.
Garg, a 1991-batch Indian Administrative Service (retired) officer of the Odisha cadre, will continue to serve on a contract basis till July 31, 2027. His current term expires at the end of this month.
In addition to heading the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Garg will continue as Secretary of the National Statistical Commission, the order issued by the Ministry of Personnel states.
The order issued to implement the decision of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) also extends by six months the tenure of Agrawal as CBDT Chairman on a contract basis till December 31 this year. He is an Indian Revenue Service officer of the 1988 batch.
The government has promoted two DIGs of the CBI to the rank of Joint Directors. Atul Kumar Thakur, IPS (AGMUT:2008), currently serving as DIG in CBI, has been appointed as Joint Director, CBI, with an overall tenure approved up to November 24, 2028 or until further orders. Pankaj Kumar Singh, an IPS officer of the same batch, also presently working as DIG in CBI, has been appointed as Joint Director, CBI, with an overall tenure approved up to December 5, 2028 or until further orders.
The other appointments include:
Rahul Kumar, IRS (C&IT:2016), has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan in the Ministry of Rural Development at Deputy Secretary level.
Krishna Kumar Tiwari, ISS (2011), Director, Election Commission of India, has received ACC approval for extension of his Central deputation tenure under the Central Staffing Scheme for two years beyond September 30, 2026.
Sanap Bajirao Ramnath, IP&TAFS (2011), Director, Ministry of Defence, has received ACC approval for extension of Central deputation tenure under Central Staffing Scheme for two years till September 22, 2028.
Anshu Manish Khalkho, IDAS (1994), Director (A&F), NHIDCL under Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has been approved for premature repatriation to his parent cadre with extended cooling-off condition.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Interesting that a retired IAS officer continues on contract. Our bureaucracy truly runs on extensions! Meanwhile, the CBI gets two new Joint Directors from the same batch - promotions seem to come in pairs nowadays. Hope this brings efficiency to investigations.
These bureaucratic shuffles are routine, but what really matters is whether MOSPI's data becomes more reliable. Every time they release unemployment or GDP numbers, there's always some controversy. Extending Garg's tenure should mean accountability, not just continuity. 👀
Glad to see appointments based on merit. But I wish the government would focus more on filling vacancies in lower ranks of these departments rather than just extending top officials' tenures. The real work happens at ground level. Still, good news for Garg and Agrawal.
Another extension for a retired officer? What about the young IAS officers waiting for promotions? This system of contract re-appointments needs reform. But I suppose in a complex department like statistics, experience matters. Hope Garg delivers better data quality. 🇮🇳
The CBI promotions are noteworthy - two IPS officers from the same batch becoming Joint Directors. Shows coordination in the system. Also interesting that someone from the 2016 IRS batch is getting an OSD role. Good mix of experienced and newer officers in these appointments.
N