Anand Khare could be new DG, Telecom. If he is appointed, he will at the helm till August this year. He is an ITS officer.

The Director General of Prisons, Senior IPS officer Shashi Bhushan Kumar Singh of the 1988 batch has retired from service on January 31 and since then this important post is lying vacant. The competent authorities have, after many days, failed to appoint any IPS officer on the post. The sources claimed that hectic activities are on for the post and many names are in circulation but no decision has been reached. The officers in discussion include Special Commissioner of Police Robin Hibu, a 1993- batch officer, Special CP Rajesh Khurana of the 1994 batch, Special CP, Traffic Neeraj Thakur, also of 1994 batch and Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Ravindra Singh Yadav, an officer of the 1995 batch. According to indications, officers with prior experience in prison administration, policing and intelligence will be given priority.

The Mumbai Mayoral election will take place on February 11 and the nomination process is to begin on February 6. This is hot topic of discussion in administrative circle but attention is also turning to the BMC Commissioner post, with Bhushan Gagrani, the incumbent, set to retire in March. Senior IAS officers including Ashwini Bhide, Milind Mhaiskar, Sanjeev Jaiswal and Dr Sanjay Mukherjee are emerging as key contenders for the powerful civic role. The leading contenders are seasoned IAS officers with deep administrative and urban governance experience. The next head of the country’s richest Municipal Corporation  will be, no doubt, a senior IAS officer. Gagrani is a 1990-batch IAS officer who served as BMC Municipal Commissioner since March 2024. With his possible superannuation, discussions are intensifying over, who will succeed him as the next Municipal Commissioner.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) will host a National Conference of the State Election Commissioners (SECs) on February 24, 2026. State Election Commissioners of all the 36 States/UTs of the country are expected to attend the conference, which will be held at the Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.  The conference is being held after a gap of over 25 years. The last such conference held in the year 1999. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar will chair the conference along with Election Commissioners, Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi and address the State Election Commissioners at the inaugural ceremony. State Election Commissioners will participate along with their legal experts and technical experts and present their views. The participants will take part in discussion sessions on electoral laws on elector eligibility of the States/UTs, technological interventions spearheaded by the ECI such as the recently launched ECINET digital platform and EVMs amongst other topics.

The Chief Secretary of Rajasthan V Srinivas  is said to have played an important role in the long pending promotion of 22 Rajasthan  Forest Service (RFS) officers to Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officers. This administrative decision ended a delay that stretched over three years. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has given approval following which, the Department of Personnel has issued the official selection lists for the three backlog years. The 2022 selection list has two officers, the 2023 list features the promotion of 5 officers while 2024 selection list comprises 15 officers. The promoted officers are giving credit to the Chief Secretary V Srinivas, who is said to have played a key role in resolving the long-standing issue. The Chief Secretary is taking several steps to streamline the administration.

The tenure of Amarendu Prakash as Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has been curtailed with the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) seeking applications for a new candidate before March 9, 2026.

The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) is holding interviews for the post of Director (Commercial), Power Finance Corporation Limited (PFC) on February 9, 2026.

A 2013 batch IFS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, Vipin Kumar Patel has resigned from Indian Forest Service (IFC) citing personal reasons.

Parshant Kumar Goyal, Joint Secretary, Department of Financial Services, has been given premature repatriation to his parent cadre. He is a 2007 batch IAS officer of Tripura cadre.

A vacancy of Chairman & Managing Director, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) is arising on July 1, 2026 with the expiring term of incumbent Pradip Kumar Das.

Pankaj Pandey, Director (Technical), Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited (MECL) is in the race for the post of Chairman & Managing Director, Western Coalfields Limited (WCL).

Bikram Ghosh, Director (Finance), Western Coalfields Limited is in the race for the post of Chairman & Managing Director, Western Coalfields Limited (WCL).

M Anitha, a 2007-batch Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer, was approved for the position of Director in the Department of Defence under the Central Staffing Scheme. She is transitioning from the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) and will serve until September 26, 2026. While this is under the MoD, it pertains to administrative bureaucracy rather than military top brass.

The post of Dinesh Hariram Mate as Deputy Director General in the Directorate General of Shipping has been upgraded to Director level. He is a 2012 batch IA &AS officer.

The Andhra Pradesh government transferred Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam’s (TTD) Executive Officer (EO) Anil Kumar Singhal (IAS) amid the ongoing Tirupati Laddu controversy. M. Ravichandra (IAS) was appointed as the new TTD EO to oversee temple administration and address public concerns.

The Andhra Pradesh government updated details on inter-state transfers of employees, including IAS and IPS officers allocated post-bifurcation. This has raised concerns among Telangana employees regarding promotions, seniority, and service benefits, as it may affect cross-state cadre adjustments.

Three AAOs have been promoted to the post of Sr Accounts Officers and given new postings. B Lakshmi Sujana has been posted to CBIC, Mysore, while Pushpendra Kr Mithaliya was moved to CBIC, Ghaziabad and Sukh Dev will join MHA, Delhi, after promotion.

The Defence Ministry has approved 6 Boeing 767 refuellers from Israel and 12 AEW&C systems (Brazil/France). This could accelerate to 2026 induction, boosting aerospace dominance.

The Union Budget 2026 announced the establishment of dedicated Rare Earth Corridors in mineral-rich states like Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. This initiative aims to promote mining, processing, research, and manufacturing of rare earth elements, reducing import dependence and boosting strategic sectors like electric vehicles, renewables, defense, and electronics.This represents a new bureaucratic trend toward cluster-based, challenge-driven development in critical minerals, involving coordination between central and state administrations.

Chairman & Managing Director post in Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) will fall vacant in July 2026. Applications must reach latest by February 18, 2026.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has advertised the post of Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC) in Falta SEZ, Kolkata on deputation basis. Details can be availed from Ministry’s website.

Chairman & Managing Director post of Troop Comforts Limited will fall vacant in October, 2026.  Applications must reach latest by February 18, 2026.

Ravi Dutt Kamboj and Dr Ravendra Singh have been empanelled for appointment as IEMs. Both are from Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran (P) Ltd (BRBNMPL).

Sudhanshu Sekhara Mishra has been empanelled for appointment as IEM. He is from Bird Group of Companies (BGC).

Vice Admiral Arun Kumar Bahl has been empanelled for appointment as IEM. He is a 1980 batch Indian Navy officer and retired as Programme Director, HQATVP, M/o Defence.

Arun Kumar Sharma has been empanelled for appointment as IEM. He retired as Director (Finance), IOCL.

Director (Finance) post in BEML Limited will fall vacant in September, 2026. Applications must reach latest by February 18, 2026.

IDAS officers of batch 2018 to 2022 (Direct) and 2015 to 2023 (Promoted from SAO to JTS) are under consideration for nomination as Head of the DAD Cell in UN Missions for the year 2026. They are being considered for MONUSCO (DR Congo), UNMISS (South Sudan) and UNISFA (Anyei) missions. Applications must reach latest by February 28, 2026.

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) is seeking to fill one post each of Manager and Assistant Manager for Area Office Jabalpur under IRCTC/ West Zone. Applications must reach latest by March 4, 2026.

The Ministry of Heavy Industries is seeking to engage the post of Consultant for International Trade on contract basis. Details can be availed from www.heavyindustries.gov.in.

In a major reshuffle, as many as 22 IPS officers have been shifted in UP. Sujeet Pandey has been posted as DGP, Fire and Emergency Services, Headquarters, Lucknow, while K S Emmanuel is now IG/GSO to DGP and Vinod Kumar Singh was made IG, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Police Academy, Moradabad. Similarly, Alok Priyadarshi will be posted as Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP), Varanasi Commissionerate; Praveen Kumar as ADG, Lucknow Zone; Rajkaran Nayyar as ACP, Ghaziabad; Somen Verma as DIG, Ayodhya Range; Sankalp Sharma as Joint Commissioner of Police, Kanpur City; Vipin Tada as Joint Commissioner of Police, Kanpur City; Abhishek Yadav as DIG, ATS Lucknow; Ashish Tiwari as DIG, Technical Services, Lucknow; Pratap  Gopendra Yadav as DIG, UP Police Headquarters, Lucknow; Kunwar Anupam Singh as SP, Jaunpur; Mrs Khyati Garg as SP, Lakhimpur Kheri; Yashveer Singh as SP, Basti; Mrs Charu Nigam as SP, Sultanpur; Abhinandan as SSP, Saharanpur; Dr Kaustubh as SSP, Gorakhpur; Avinash Pandey as SSP, Meerut; Mrs Aparna Rajat Kaushik as SP, Mirzapur; Ravi Kumar as SP, Raebareli; Sukirti Madhav as SP, Pilibhit; Saravanan T as SP, Amethi and Mrs Anukriti Sharma joins as ACP, Gautambuddha Nagar.

In a major administrative reshuffle as many as 21 IAS officers in Odisha have been assigned new responsibilities. Deoranjan Kumar Singh, DC-cum-ACS and Secretary, Planning & Convergence, has been assigned additional charge of ACS, Steel and Mines Department, while Surendra Kumar is appointed as ACS, General Administration & Public Grievance and will continue as ACS, Parliamentary Affairs. Similarly, Bishnupada Sethi was posted as Chairman of Odisha Forest Development Corporation and will also serve as Chief Administrator, KBK; Mrs Chithra Arumugam, ACS, Labour & ESI Department, with additional charge of ACS, Science & Technology, will also hold charge of DG, Training Coordination, Gopabandhu Academy of Administration, Bhubaneswar; Dr Arabinda Padhee as ACS, Revenue & Disaster Management and will continue as Chief Administrator, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA); Mrs Usha Padhee, ACS, Housing & Urban Development, has been assigned additional charge of Chairperson, Odisha Industrial infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO); Suresh Kumar Vashishth as PS, Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department; Mrs Shubha Sarma as PS, Water Resources; NBS Rajput as PS, Commerce & Transport, with additional charge of CMD, Odisha State Road Transport Corporation; Girish S N, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water, will also hold charge of Chairman, Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) Ltd; Dr Mrinalini Darswal was appointed as Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Women & Child Development; Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, Commissioer-cum-Secretary, Co-operation, has been relieved of additional charge of Special Secretary, Housing & Urban Development, and assigned additional charge of posts of Chairman, Odisha State Warehousing Corporation (OSWC), Special Relief Commissioner, Odisha and Managing Director, Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA); Balwant Singh, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Tourism, was assigned additional charge of MD, Odisha State Highways Authority; Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav has been appointed as Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment and he will continue as Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Sports & Youth Services department; Sudhansu Mohan Samal, MD, Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) Ltd , will hold additional charge of Revenue Divisional Commissioner, Central Division, Cuttack; Rashmita Panda will join as Vice-Chairman, Bhubaneswar Development Authority and will remain in additional charge of MD, Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited and Special Secretary, Housing & Urban Development; Md Sadique Alam as Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Public Enterprises and will also serve as MD, Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT), Bhubaneswar; Ms Mansi Nimbhal as Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of Mission Shakti; Prem Chandra Chaudhary as Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Fisheries & Animal Resources Development; Anupam Saha, Additional Secretary to Chief Minister, was assigned additional charge of MD, Odisha Bridge & Construction Corporation (OBCC) Ltd. and Sangram Keshari Mohapatra, Revenue Divisional Commissioner, Southern Division, Berhampur, was assigned additional charge of Revenue Divisional Commissioner, Northern Division, Sambalpur, and Chairman, Western Odisha Development Council (WODC).

Vikram Singh, who is presently serving as Executive Director (Tourism & Catering), Railway Board, has been posted as Executive Director, Gati Shakti (Traffic), Railway Board. He is an Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer.

Ms Chhavi Jha, who is presently serving as Additional Member (Revenue), Railway Board, has been assigned additional duties of the post of Additional Member (Budget), Railway Board, for a period of three months. She is an Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) officer.

Avinash Kumar, who is presently posted in Eastern Railway (ER), has been transferred to Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and posted as Deputy General Manager (Dy. GM), RDSO, Lucknow. He is an Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE) officer.

Kaustubh Mani, who is presently serving as Executive Director, Mechanical Engineering (Coaching), Railway Board, has been assigned additional duties of the post of Executive Director, Mechanical Engineering (EnHM), Railway Board. He is an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer.

Parikshit Mohanpuria, who is presently serving as Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM), Bengaluru, South Western Railway (SWR), has been granted extension in his tenure for a further period of one year. He is an Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE) officer.

Sahil Bansal, who is presently posted in Eastern Railway (ER), has been transferred to Northern Railway (NR) on his own request and posted in the cadre. He is an Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer.

Rajeev Prakash, Joint Secretary, Department of Defence Production, has been given premature repatriation to his parent cadre on personal grounds. He is a 1995 batch IP&TA&FS officer.

The Board of Directors of Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL), a Schedule ‘A’ Mini-Ratna, Category-I Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the administrative control of the Ministry of Mines, in its 459th meeting held in Kolkata today has approved the Financial Results for the third quarter ending December 2025. The company reported its best-ever financial performance for cumulative nine-month period of FY 26. The Revenue from Operations clocked by the company has been Rs. 1921.84 crore, an increase of around 43% over corresponding nine-month period of FY 25 when the company had clocked Rs. 1339.56 crore.

The Profit Before Tax (PBT) achieved by the Company in nine months ended December 2025 has been stellar Rs 640.51 crore, which is around 71% higher than that of the corresponding nine month in FY 2024-25 when the company had achieved Rs 373.87 Crore. Similarly, the Profit After Tax (PAT) achieved has been Rs 474.27 crore in nine-month period ending December 2025 as against Rs. 277.94 crore achieved during the nine-month ended December 2024 which is 71% higher.

EBITDA achieved was Rs. 777.81 crore in nine-month period ended December 2025. The EBITDA margin achieved was above 40% as compared to around 37% achieved in nine-month period ending December 2024.

Keeping in view the strong results, the Board of Directors also declared an lnterim dividend for the FY 2025-26 to the shareholders @ Re. 1 per share on the face value of Rs 5 per share.

Sanjiv Kumar Singh Chairman-cum-Managing Director, HCL, stated that as part of a social security measure, the company has under the quarter under review, has made a one-time provision of Rs. 95.75 crore of a new Post-Retirement Medical Scheme (PRMS), on the basis of actuarial valuation of the scheme done by an independent actuary as per the guidelines of Ind As-19 issued by ICAI. He added that the Q3 results stand as a testament to the hard work and commitment of all employees and unwavering support of all stakeholders. The Profit has been achieved through operational excellence, sustained productivity, supported by higher volume and metal prices. CMD was happy to share that the results declared as above are after the said provision.

India is taking decisive steps to secure the supply of critical minerals that underpin microchips, batteries, electric vehicles, clean energy systems, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence technologies. These strategic minerals are largely embedded in hard rock formations and require advanced mineral processing capabilities for efficient extraction. Leveraging its proven expertise in hard rock mining and mineral beneficiation, HCL is well positioned to make a strategic entry into the critical minerals sector and contribute significantly to the nation’s technological and economic priorities.

As many as 14 IPS officers have been given new postings in Himachal Pradesh. Gaurav Singh has been appointed as Superintendent of Police (SP) Shimla, while Sachin Hiremath takes charge as SP Una and Tirumalaraju SD Verma was made SP, Solan. Similarly, services of Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi have been placed under the Personnel Department; Amit Yadav has been directed to report to Police Headquarters, Shimla;  Abhishek Dular is posted as Inspector General of Police (IGP), Communication and Technical Services, Shimla; Dr. DK Chaudhary as IGP Armed Police and Training, Daroh; Ms Soumya Sambasivan, DIG, Northern Range, Dharamshala, has been given additional charge of Principal, Police Training College, Daroh, Kangra; Rohit Malpani was appointed as DIG Cyber Crime, Shimla; Dr. Ramesh Chhajta as DIG, Prisons and Correctional Services, Shimla; Divakar Sharma as DIG, Intelligence and Security, Dharamshala; Sakshi Verma as SP, State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Mandi; Arvind Chaudhary as Commandant, 4th Indian Reserve Battalion, Jangalberi with additional charge of SP, Mandi Zone Special Task Force and Sandeep Kumar Bhardwaj has been transferred as Aide-de-Camp to the Governor.

Amazon announced 16,000 global job cuts on January 29, 2026, with potential ripple effects on its Indian workforce amid cost-cutting.

UPS planned 30,000 layoffs globally in 2026, announced January 27, 2026, which may impact MNC operations in India.

Ms. Shivangi Negi has been appointed as Managing Director of Insilco Limited with effect from February 14, 2026.

Ms. Deepa Jha has been appointed as Additional Director of Insilco Limited.

Santosh Babarao Hambare has been appointed as Additional Non-Executive Non-Independent Director of Aris International Limited.

Eknath Ramkrushna Bade has been appointed as Additional Non-Executive Independent Director of Aris International Limited.

Dr. (Ms.) Swati Patankar has been appointed as Non-Executive Independent Director of Unichem Laboratories Limited.

Ms. Kirandeep Madan has been re-appointed as Non-Executive Woman Independent Director of Gujarat Themis Biosyn Limited with effect from May 1, 2026.

Raj Kumar Baheti has been appointed as Non-Executive Non-Independent Director of Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited.

Mrs. Sharmila A. Karve has been re-appointed as Non-Executive Independent Director of Thomas Cook (India) Limited with effect from May 29, 2026.

Pradeep Mantri has been appointed as Additional Director (Executive) and Whole-Time Director of True Green Bio Energy Limited.

Shreemat Pandey has been appointed as Additional Non-Executive Independent Director of Insolation Energy Limited.

Mrs. Padmaja Priyadarshini B.N. has been appointed as Additional Non-Executive Independent Director of Xchanging Solutions Limited.

Ms. Chaitali Talele has resigned as Managing Director of Insilco Limited with effect from February 13, 2026.

DATE WITH RTI

This is a deadly judgment with its impact across a wide section of the government department which most people will not be able to understand. It would help in ensuring better utilization of reservation benefits and put pressure on those head of department who are not enforcing the reservation. But there is a catch - a BIG catch - disclosure of the caste of the government servant. The conflict would remain and now the issue is out in public. Let us see how it evolves. Thanks for bringing it out in public knowledge

Suresh Kumar

SCN to PIO (IIM) for imposing penalty for declining information about the SC /ST Professors

The appellant sought information about the SC and ST Professors currently employed at IIM Ranchi, the vacancy position, the special recruitment drives etc. which did not result into any response from the PIO. The Respondent submitted that the RTI application was forwarded to Mr. Amit Kumar, (HR), subsequently, reminders were also sent but no response had been received from him. Upon receipt of hearing notice, the information was collected from the concerned office and uploaded on the Commission’s weblink. The CIC noted that the respondent has not responded to the RTI application in spite of over 1½ years having elapsed. The reply uploaded on Commission’s web portal has not provided to the appellant. The CIC noted that the PIO has not been made any efforts to furnish a response to the appellant even upon receipt of hearing notice and he failed to explain the cogent reasons for the same. The CIC issued a Show-cause notice to PIO, Mr. Rajasekhar David, Assistant Professor, as to why action under Section 20(1) of the RTI Act should not be initiated against him for not responding to the RTI application within stipulated time.

Comments

It is disquieting that instances continue to arise where the CIC has no option but to issue show-cause notices to PIOs for neglecting to respond to RTI applications within the statutory timeframe, thereby inviting penal action under Section 20(1) of the RTI Act. If the case pertains to a premier management institute, one wonders whether it is a case of lack if awareness of the provisions of the RTI Act.

Citation: Raju Paswan v. Indian Institute of Management Ranchi, Second Appeal No. CIC/IIMRC/A/2024/643443; Date of Decision: 14.10.2025

Dr Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is a RTI Consultant currently working with IIM Vishakhapatnam. She has co-authored the books PIO’s Guide to RTI and Right to Information – Law and Practice. Her weekly article is being published since 2008 on this site. She offers consultancy on RTI matters and third party audit to individuals / organisations. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation at the link https://www.rtifoundationofindia.com

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