As India gears up for a festive year-end rush, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Kumar Jain has outlined ambitious initiatives to redefine rail travel, blending crisis resilience, digital innovation, and sustainability in an exclusive interview with Whispers in the Corridors, Consulting Editor, Rajendra Sharma.

Jain, a 1990-batch Indian Railway Traffic Service officer and chartered accountant who took helm in February 2024, highlighted IRCTC’s swift response to the early 2025 IndiGo flight grounding crisis, which stranded thousands. “Indian Railways augmented passenger trains to meet demand, with bookings available on our ticketing platform,” Jain said. Collaborating with Western and Central Railways, IRCTC deployed assistance desks at Ahmedabad Airport and Mumbai’s Terminals 1 and 2, underscoring its role in India’s multimodal transport ecosystem.

With Christmas and New Year travel peaking, IRCTC is rolling out zonal New Year packages via www.irctctourism.com, alongside railway-operated festival specials. 

Digitally, IRCTC shattered records this year: 37,410 tickets booked per minute on August 16 at 10:02 a.m., and 1.84 million in a single day on August 19. Nearly 89% of reserved tickets are now online, while e-catering—launched in 2014—delivers over 1.25 lakh meals daily. Looking to 2026, Jain teased an “Artificial Intelligence-enabled unified portal” for one-click travel solutions, partnering with tech giants.

Sustainability remains core, aligning with India’s green mobility drive. IRCTC is modernizing kitchens to electric and induction systems, ditching LPG/PNG, and promoting biodegradable cutlery across e-catering. Staff training on waste segregation targets plastic reduction and organic management.

Financially, IRCTC eyes “calibrated growth” in FY26, balancing premium expansions with affordability for tier-2 and tier-3 regions through Bharat Gaurav and budget tourist trains. Recent ASEAN events in Bangkok and Vietnam signal outbound tourism ambitions. Onboard, 2026 brings “gifts” like proof-of-concept meal trials on Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat express, tying up with brands such as Haldiram in Nagpur and Touchstone in Delhi-Mumbai. Serving 16.5 lakh meals daily, these upgrades aim to elevate culinary logistics.

Plus, RBI’s in-principle nod for IRCTC iPay as a payment aggregator promises a fintech revenue boost. “We’re positioned for steady performance,” Jain affirmed, as IRCTC bridges budget and luxury rails for millions. With Vande Bharat’s expansion, these steps could transform overcrowding into opportunity, keeping India on track for inclusive mobility.

(Detailed full interview in February issue of Whispersinthecorridors monthly magazine)

https://www.whispersinthecorridors.com/magazine/

Rakesh Agrawal, Special Director NIA has been given additional charge of DG NIA. He is 1994 batch IPS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre.

Asit Gopal has been appointed as Special Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Textiles. He is a 1990 batch IFoS officer of MP cadre.

Ramesh Krishnamurthi has been appointed as Central Provident Fund Commissioner, Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) in the rank and pay of Secretary to the GoI. He is a 1992 batch IRS (lT) officer.

Mukesh Mangal has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways. He is a 1992 batch ITS officer.

Ms Meenaxi Rawat has been appointed as CVO, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL), Mumbai in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the GoI. She is a 1993 batch IES officer.

Ms Archana Sharma Awasthi has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education. She is a  1994 batch IRS (IT) officer.

Manoj Kumar has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Investment & Public Asset Management, Ministry of Finance. He is a 1994 batch IRS (IT) officer.

Nitesh Kumar Mishra has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports. He is a 1995 batch ICAS officer.

Anupam Mishra has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution. He is a 1995 batch IES officer.

Ms Anu Nagar has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. She is a 1995 batch IFoS officer of HP cadre.

Suchindra Misra has been appointed as Special Secretary, Department of Commerce. He is a 1992 batch IDAS officer.

Dilip Kumar has been appointed as Director General (Training), Skill Development & Entrepreneurship at Additional Secretary rank. He is a 1995 batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre.

Shyamla Misra has been appointed as Administrator (Digital Bharat Nidhi), Department of Telecommunications at Additional Secretary rank. He is a 1996 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre.

Ms Aneeta C Meshram has been appointed as Additional Secretary, President's Secretariat. She is a 1996 batch IAS officer of UP cadre.

Lav Aggarwal has been appointed as DG, Directorate General of Foreign Trade at Additional Secretary level. He is a 1996 batch IAS officer of AP cadre.

Ms Caralyn Khongwar Deshmukh has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Women & Child Development. She is a 1996 batch IAS officer of MP cadre.

Rakesh Gupta has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Health & Family Welfare. He is a 1997 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre.

Ms Sonal Mishra has been appointed as Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Ministry of Labour & Employment at Additional Secretary level. She is a 1997 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre.

Rabindra Kumar Agarwal has been appointed as CMD, Food Corporation of India at Additional Secretary level. He is a 1997 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre.

Srikant Nagulapalli has been appointed as DG, Hydrocarbons at Additional Secretary level. He is a 1998 batch IAS officer of AP cadre.

Anandrao Vishnu Patil has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Higher Education. He is a 1998 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre.

Ajoy Sharma has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Labour & Employment. He is a 1999 batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre.

Ashutosh Agnihotri has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Environment, Forest & Climate Change. He is a 1999 batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre.

Solomon Arokiaraj has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat. He is a 2000 batch IAS officer of AP cadre.

Niranjan Kumar Sudhansu has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. He is a 2000 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre.

Ms Vandana Jain has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Culture. She is a 1991 batch CSS officer.

Ms Nidhi Pandey has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Atomic Energy. She is a 1991 batch IIS officer.

D Saibaba has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power. He is a 1992 batch IRSME officer.

Satinder Kumar Bhall has been appointed as Secretary, North Eastern Council Secretariat, DoNER at Additional Secretary level. He is a 1992 batch ITS officer.

Dinesh Mahur has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Defence. He is a 1992 batch ITS officer.

Mayank Tiwari has been appointed as Additional Secretary, New & Renewable Energy. He is a 1993 batch IRSME officer.

Ateesh Kumar Singh has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. He is a 1994 batch IRTS officer.

Rakesh Mittal has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Defence. He is a 1995 batch IDES officer.

Ms D Sai Amutha Devi has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat. She is a 1995 batch IP&TA&FS officer.

Vedveer Arya has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Petroleum & Natural Gas. He is a 1997 batch IDAS officer.

Alok Prem Nagar has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj. He is a 1995 batch IFoS officer of HP cadre.

Chetan Prakash Jain has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSlR), Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. He is a 1995 batch IRPS officer.

Ms Ballepu Radhika Chakravarthy has been appointed as Additional Secretary, National Commission for Women (NCW), Ministry of Women & Child Development. She is a 1996 batch IPoS officer.

Ms Anita Karn has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Food & Public Distribution, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution. She is a 1997 batch IFoS officer of Gujarat cadre.

Ms Debolina Thakur has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. She is a 1998 batch lA&AS officer.

Manish Tripathi has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Defence, Ministry of Defence. He is a 1998 batch IDAS officer.

Srimat Kumar has been appointed as Joint Secretary at Director level, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). he is a 2011 batch ISS officer.

Biswajit Pegu has been appointed as Director of Census Operations/Director of Citizen Registration at Director level, Assam. He is a 2009 batch IAS officer of Assam cadre.

Ms Rashmi Kamal has been appointed as Director of Census Operations/Director of Citizen Registration at Director level, West Bengal. She is a 2006 batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre.

The post of Ravinder Kumar as Private Secretary to Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Agriculture Minister upgraded to Director level. He is a 2012 batch IAS officer of AGMUT cadre.

The post of Arun G has been appointed as Director in the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. He is a 2012 batch IES officer.

The post of Ms Prerna Joshi has been upgraded as Director, Central Information Commission (CIC). She is a 2012 batch IES officer.

Sivavikram has been promoted to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) grade in National Investigation Agency (NIA). He is a 2012 batch IPS officer of Kerala cadre.

Sandeep has been promoted to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) grade in National Investigation Agency (NIA). He is a 2012 batch IPS officer of AGMUT cadre.

Mrs Sujata Singh has been promoted to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) grade in National Investigation Agency (NIA). She is a 2012 batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre.

R K Shahspurwad has been promoted to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) grade in National Investigation Agency (NIA). He is a 2012 batch IPS officer of Karnataka cadre.

P H Maheshnaraian has been promoted to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) grade in National Investigation Agency (NIA). He is a 2012 batch IPS officer of Manipur cadre.

The tenure of Madhu Sankunny Nair as Chairman & Managing Director of Cochin Shipyard Limited has been extended till January 31, 2026. His second term came to end on December 31, 2025. Nair was given a one-month extension till his superannuation.

(We said this on Sept 26, 2025)

Abhay Kumar, presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Azerbaijan. He is a 2003 batch IFS officer.

Om Prakash Singh, Director/FSL, Madhuban with addl. charge of DG/HSNCB(H) and officiating charge of DGP, Haryana (HoPF) will retire from government service on December 31 2025 on attaining the age of superannuation. He is a 1992 batch IPS officer of Haryana cadre.

Muhammad Akil, Commandant General, Home Guards & Director Civil Defence, Haryana will retire from government service on December 31 2025 on attaining the age of superannuation. He is a 1989 batch IPS officer of Haryana cadre.

The 100 days foundation course of Civil Services was organized in Kevadia, Gujarat.

The Personnel  Ministry  has disposed off more than 20 lakh grievances of different nature related to employees.

The Govt organized a total 17 Rozgar Melas till now. Three Melas were organized in 2025. More than 11 lakhs successful candidates got the employment through these Melas.

Three IRS(C&IT) Officers have been attached to some units on a temporary basis. Accordingly,  Manish Kulhary, Addl Commissioner has been attached to Jaipur, GST & CX Zone while Kuldeep Kumar Singh, Addl Commissioner, DGEP, Delhi and Kumar Vivek, Jt Commissioner have been attached to Dte of Logistics, Delhi.

The CBIC has accepted the voluntary retirement applications of two IRS(C&IT) Officers. They are- M V Jeewan Roy and  P. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Both were Astt Commissioners.

 MHA has issued a circular inviting applications for 15 technical positions (e.g., software developers, network engineers) in the Cyber and Information Security (CIS) Division, aimed at bolstering digital forensics and cybersecurity capabilities. This supports new joinings at mid-level (Group B/C) to handle rising cyber threats. Deadline: January 15, 2026.

The Army established three new military garrisons in the Siliguri Corridor (“Chicken’s Neck”) to bolster security against potential threats from Bangladesh. A fourth base in Mizoram is under consideration. This enhances rapid response in a strategically vulnerable area.

 Post-SC directive, MHA’s one-month review deadline signals a 2026 trend toward de-stagnation, with predictions of 20% more promotions in BSF/CRPF to retain talent amid attrition (10% yearly). This counters “brain drain” to private security.

Ministry of Home Affairs is seeking DIG/IG level two IPS officers for Team Leader (P-5) for Brindisi, Italy  for United Nations Police Department (UNPD) Standing Police Capacity (SPC). Applications must reach latest by February 10, 2026.

Ministry of External Affairs is seeking ten Consultants in Multilateral Economic Relations (MER) Division. Applications must reach latest by January 16, 2026.

Twenty eight candidates have been shortlisted for interviews to three posts of Assistant Director (Chemical) in Office of the Development Commissioner, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). Interview dates will be announced shortly.

Last date to apply for Secretary, Coir Board post on deputation basis has been extended. The revised date is January 15, 2026.

Nineteen JAG IDAS officers have been transferred in Non-Functional Selection Grade of JAG with effect from January 1, 2026.  These officers include  Pusarla Nivedita Rao,  Omkar Chandrashekhar Moghe,Srinivasa Reddy Kalam, Mohit Sharma, Anup Ashokrao Deshmukh, Suryajit Nayak, Jiwendra Chandra Tripathi, Sandip Shrirang Desai, Ram Jeyanth K R S, Shashi Pratap Singh, Abinaya Nishanthini Boopathy,  Vinod Kumar Laxkar, Manish, Abhishek Singh, Siva Shankar, Gaurav Singh, Ravi Kiran, Vikram A Doddamani, and Dr. Khuptong Lalbiakchhunga.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is seeking to fill three posts of Deputy Director (Disaster Management) on deputation basis. Details can be availed from Ministry’s website.

PESB has invited applications for the post of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL). Applications must reach latest by January 20, 2026. Details can be availed from  https://www.dae.gov.in.

IAS officers have been reshuffled in Bihar. Vijayalakshmi N has been transferred as Additional Chief Secretary, Planning and Development Department, and will also hold the charge of Secretary, Bihar State Planning Board, Patna, and Project Director, Bihar Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Society, Patna, while Shirshat Kapil Ashok has been given the responsibility of Secretary In-charge, Dairy, Fisheries and Animal Resources Department, Patna. Similarly, K Senthil Kumar takes over as Principal Secretary, Sugarcane Industry Department; Pankaj Kumar as Principal Secretary, Rural Development Department with additional charge of Inquiry Commissioner, General Administration Department; Sanjeev Hans as Additional Member, Revenue Board; Narmadeshwar Lal as PS, Agriculture Department while he will continue to hold the additional charge of Inquiry Commissioner, General Administration Department;  Vinay Kumar as PS, Urban Development and Housing Department; Prem Singh Meena as Commissioner, Munger Division, Munger; Manish Kumar as Commissioner, Saran Division, Chapra; Sandeep Kumar Pudkalakatti, Secretary, Urban Development & Housing, will hold the additional charge of Secretary, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Welfare; Giriwar Dayal Singh as Commissioner, Tirhut Division, Muzaffarpur; Avnish Kumar Singh as Commissioner, Bhagalpur Division; Mahendra Kumar, MD, South Bihar Power Distribution Company Ltd., will also handle charge of Special Secretary, Sports; Dr B Rajendra Kumar, ACS, GAD, will be relieved of the additional charge of Sports Department; Nilesh Ramchandra Deore, Special Secretary, Civil Aviation, gets additional charge of Special Secretary, Tourism; Lokesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, Rural Development, has been relieved of the additional charge of Tourism Department and Amit Kumar Pandey, ED, State Health Society, is assigned additional charge of MD, Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation.

Vijay Solanki, who is presently posted in Northern Railway (NR), has been transferred to Railway Board and posted as Executive Director, Gati Shakti (Signal & Telecommunication), Railway Board. He is an Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers (IRSSE) officer.
 

Abhijeet Kumar, on return from deputation to Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), has been posted as Director, Mechanical Engineering (Traction), Railway Board. He is an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer.

 

Shiv Shankar Lakra, who is presently posted in South East Central Railway (SECR), has been transferred to Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) and posted as Principal Chief Materials Manager (PCMM) (CHOD). He is an Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers (IRSS) officer.

 

Naveen Kumar Singh, who is presently posted as Principal Chief Materials Manager (PCMM) (CHOD), Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), has been transferred and posted in the cadre of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR). He is an Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers (IRSS) officer.

 

Suresh Chandra, who is presently posted in Western Railway (WR), has been transferred to South East Central Railway (SECR) and posted as Principal Chief Materials Manager (PCMM) (CHOD). He is an Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers (IRSS) officer.

Somesh Kumar, who is presently serving as Additional Member (Traction), Railway Board, will continue to look after the duties of the post of General Manager, Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW), in addition to his own, for a further period of three months.

Narendra Patil, who is presently posted in Western Railway (WR), has been posted as Senior Deputy General Manager (SDGM) on the Railway itself. He is an Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer.

As many as three Indian Railway Protection Force Service (IRPFS) officers have been granted higher administrative grade (HAG) on a non-functional basis with effect from January 1, 2026.

 

As many as 32 Indian Railway Health Service (IRHS) officers have been granted senior administrative grade (SAG) on a non-functional basis with effect from January 1, 2026.

 

As many as three Selection Grade (SG) Indian Railway Health Service (IRHS) officers have been appointed to officiate in senior administrative grade (SAG) under the Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) Scheme.

 

As many as 26 junior administrative grade (JAG) Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) officers have been placed in Selection Grade with effect from January 1, 2026.

 

As many as 10 junior administrative grade (JAG) Indian Railway Protection Force Service (IRPFS) officers have been placed in Selection Grade with effect from January 1, 2026.

As many as 20 junior administrative grade (JAG) Indian Railway Stores Service (IRSS) officers have been placed in Selection Grade with effect from January 1, 2026.

 

As many as 56 junior administrative grade (JAG) Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officers have been placed in Selection Grade with effect from January 1, 2026.

Senior IPS officers in Tamil Nadu have been promoted to the rank of DGP and ADGP and many of them have been given new postings. S Davidson Devasirvatham has been promoted as DGP and posted as DGP, Armed Police, while Sandeep Mittal has been promoted as DGP and will continue to head the Cyber Crime Wing, with the post upgraded from ADGP to DGP level. Similarly, Bala Naga Devi has been promoted as DGP and will continue as DGP, Economic Offences Wing (EOW); TS Anbu was promoted as ADGP and continue as ADGP, Crime Branch CID; Prem Anand is posted as Commissioner of Police, Avadi following promotion to rank of ADGP; Deepak M Damor was given pro forma promotion to rank of ADGP; K Senthil Kumar has been promoted to rank of ADGP and posted as ADGP, Headquarters and Anisa Husain is posted as ADGP, Crime against Women and Children following promotion.

G N Shivamurthy, former IAS officer of Karnataka, has been empanelled as Arbitrator with Indian Council of Arbitration (ICA), Delhi.

IPS officers have been promoted to IG, DIG rank in Tamil Nadu and some of them have been given new postings. Sonal Chandra has been promoted as IGP and posted as IGP, State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB), while G Shashank Sai has been promoted as DIG and posted as DIGP, Kancheepuram Range. Similarly, Deshmukh Shekar Sanjay has been posted as DIG, Ramanathapuram Range; N Manivannan is promoted as DIG and posted as Commissioner of Police, Tirunelveli; and Ara Arularasu has been promoted and posted as DIG, Villupuram Range; R V Ramya Bharathi and R Ponni have been promoted as IGPs. Other SP rank officers promoted to DIG rank include Georgy George, C Kalaichelvan, Arun Shakthi Kumar, Aravind Menon, and Omprakash Meena.

Ms Sripriya Ranganathan has been appointed as Secretary, Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) & Overseas Indian Affairs (OIA). She is a 1994 batch IFS officer.

Vijay Kumar Darak has been appointed as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. He is a 2016 batch ICoAS officer.

Haris S has been appointed as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Commerce. He is a 2015 batch IAS officer of Chhattisgarh cadre.

Six SP rank IPS officers have been given new responsibilities in Tamil Nadu. Among them two officers have been promoted as SP. Dr C Madhan has been promoted to SP level and appointed as DCP, West, Tirunelveli City, while S Madhivanan will take charge as DCP, North, Madurai City following promotion. Besides, R Pandiarajan is shifted as SP/Commandant, TN Special Police II Battalion, Avadi; K Maheshwari as SP, TN Commando Force, Chennai; R Ponkarthik Kumar as DCP, Law and Order, Palliakarnai, Tambaram and A C Karthikeyan is now DCP, Law & Order, Adyar, Greater Chennai. 

IPS officers have been given new jobs in Tamil Nadu. Adarsh Padhera has been appointed as SP-II, Cyber Crime Wing, Chennai, while V K Sai Praneeth is now SP, Villupuram and S Selvakumar joins as SP, EOW, North Zone, Chennai. Similarly, S R Senthil Kumar will be posted as SP, CCB, Avadi; G Umaiyal as SP/Deputy Director, TN Police Academy, Vandalur, Chennai; Dr T Senthil Kumar as DCP, North, Trichy City; Dr V Prasannakumar as SP, Tirunelveli; P Sibin as SP, Chengalpattu; Dr K S Balla Krisshnan as SP, Nagapattinam; M Chandrasekaran as SP, Idol Wing CID, Chennai; G S Anitha as SP, Perambalur; J Jareen Begum as AIGP, Welfare, Office of DGP/HoPF; B Geetha as DCP, Kilpauk, Greater Chennai; S Aravind as SP, Kallakurichi; G S Madhavan as SP, Tenkasi and N Silambarasan is now SP, Thoothukudi. 

Sadanand Vasant Date has been appointed as Director General of Police (DGP), Head of Police in Maharashtra. Date, who belongs to a 1990 batch IPS officer of Maharashtra cadre, will render his service for two-year fixed tenure.

(We said this on Dec 23, 2025)

Karthick K, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Vigilance, has been transferred and posted as Deputy Inspector General of Police & Commissioner of Police, Thiruvananthapuram City in Kerala. He is a 2011 batch IPS officer of Kerala cadre.

Ajay Singhal has been appointed new DGP of Haryana. He is 1992 batch IPS officer of Haryana cadre..He succeeds O P Singh.

Three officers of IRS-Customs cadre: M Subramanyam, Sanjay Rathi and Nitish Kumar Sinha have been promoted to the grade of Principal Chief Commissioner/Principal Director General of Customs & Indirect Taxes.

Nandini Chakraborty has been appointed new Chief Secretary of West Bengal on December 31. She is 1994 batch IAS officer.

Dr Manoj Pant has been appointed as Principal Secretary to Chief Minister of West Bengal. He is a 1991 batch retired IAS officer of West Bengal cadre.

Barun Kumar Ray has been appointed as ACS, Non-Conventional & Renewable Energy Sources, while Surendra Gupta was made Principal Secretary, PHE and Dushyant Nariala is ACS, North Bengal Development Department in West Bengal. Besides, Atri Bhattacharya has been appointed as ACS, Sundarban Affairs.

As many as five IPS officers of 2008 batch: Dr M B Boralingaiah, Dr Ram Niwas Septa, Anupam Agrawal, Ajay Hilori and Dr Rohini Katoch Sepat have been promoted to Super Time Scale in Karnataka.

Four IPS officers of 2017 batch: Adduru Srinivasulu, Ranjit Kumar Bandaru, K Ramarajan, Ashok K V have been promoted to Junior Administrative Grade (JAG) in Karnataka.

 Kandarp Vajubhai Patel has been appointed as Private Secretary to Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways. He is a 2012 batch IA & AS officer.

Senior IPS officers have been promoted to Special DG, ADG and IG rank in MP. ADG Ashutosh Roy has been promoted to Special DG rank, while IG Pramod Verma was promoted to ADG rank. Similarly, DIG Niranjan B Niranjan B Vayangankar, Shiyas A and Lalit Shakyawar have been promoted to IG rank.

13 SSP level IPS officers have been promoted to DIG rank in MP. Those promoted include: Rakesh Sagar, Raghavendra Singh Belwanshi, Kiran Lata Kerketta, Manoj Kumar Rai, Riyaz Iqbal, Rahul Kumar Lodha, Shimala Prasad, Asit Yadav, Mayank Awasthi, Vivek Singh, Kumar Prateek, Shivdayal, and Shailendra Singh Chauhan have been promoted to DIG.

13 SSP level IPS officers have been promoted to DIG rank in MP. Those promoted include: Rakesh Sagar, Raghavendra Singh Belwanshi, Kiran Lata Kerketta, Manoj Kumar Rai, Riyaz Iqbal, Rahul Kumar Lodha, Shimala Prasad, Asit Yadav, Mayank Awasthi, Vivek Singh, Kumar Prateek, Shivdayal, and Shailendra Singh Chauhan have been promoted to DIG.

11 SP level IPS officers have been promoted to SSP rank in MP. Those promoted are: Jagdish Dabar, Manohar Singh Mandloi, Abhishek Tiwari, Vinayak Verma, Pankaj Kumawat, Ajay Singh, Hitesh Chaudhary, Suraj Kumar Verma, Sampat Upadhyay, Yangchen Dolkar, and Ramji Srivastava.

As many as 24 IAS officers of 2013 batch in MP have been awarded Selection Grade (Additional Secretary rank). The promoted officers include: Priyank Mishra, Amanbir Singh Bains, Rajni Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Sonia Meena, Satish Kumar S, Frank Nobel A, Somesh Mishra, S Krishna Chaitanya, Anoop Kumar Singh, Sandeep G R, Girish Kumar Mishra, Shivam Verma, Raghavendra Singh, Vikas Mishra, Ajay Srivastava, Meenakshi Singh, Kailash Wankhede, Aman Bahadur Singh, Manish Sentia, Neeraj Kumar Vashisht, Kishore Kumar Kanyal, and Ruhi Khan have been appointed as Additional Secretaries.

Sixteen IAS officers of 2010 batch in MP have been granted Super Time Scale (STS) (Secretary level). They are: Anay Dwivedi, Kaushlendra Vikram Singh, Tarun Rathi, Karmveer Sharma, Bhaskar Lakshkar, Abhijeet Agarwal, Ashish Singh, Chhote Singh, Dinesh Srivastava, Sapna Nigam, Deepak Kumar Saxena, Ram Pratap Singh Jadon, Basant Kurre, Suresh Kumar, Chandrashekhar Walimbe, and Shailendra Singh.

Fifteen IAS officers of 2017 batch have been promoted to Junior Administrative Grade (JAG) in MP. They are: Abhilash Mishra, Rohit Sissoniya, Rahul Namdev Dhote, Ms Ankita Dhakre, Dr Yogesh Tukaram Bharsat, Vivek Kumar, Dr Parikshit Sanjay Rao Jhade, Dr Saurabh Sonwade, Guru Prasad, Kumar Satyam, Divyank Singh, Dr Sher Singh Meena, Mrs Anju Arun Kumar, Devendra Kumar Nagendra and Manoj Kumar Saiyam.

Maithreyi Jagannathan stepped down as Category Leader for Health Care effective December 31, 2025, to pursue personal interests, amid P&G’s portfolio optimisation.

 Rajnish Sharma, after 11 years in commercial roles, exited to focus on advisory work, impacting modern trade strategies.

Ms Sandhya Venugopal Sharma, IAS, has been appointed as Chairperson and Additional Director of Titan Company Limited with effect from  January 4, 2026.

 

Jaideep Iyer has been appointed as an Additional Director and Whole-time Director (Executive Director) of RBL Bank Limited with effect from February 21, 2026.

Deniis Desai has been appointed as an Additional Director (Non-Executive) of Devinsu Trading Limited.

 

Ms Ayshwarya Vikram has resigned from the position of Non-Executive Non-Independent Director of EPL Limited.

 

Dharmendra Naranbhai Gohil has resigned from the position of Director of Last Mile Enterprises Limited.

 

Sandeep Nanduri has resigned from the position of Non-Executive Non-Independent Director of Titan Company Limited with effect from  January 4, 2026.

Congratulations to CBDT

CBDT needs to be congratulated for collecting 2500 crores of income tax by following NUGET approach. This approach needs to be followed in toto and a scrutiny system of field formations /faceless assessment should be junked altogether. It is a fact that faceless assessments result in creation of huge demand giving rise to unending litigation and inviting charges of tax terrorism. The NUGET strategy resulted into extra revenue generation and gave impression of tax friendly tax administration. KUDOS TO CBDT AND KEEP IT UP.

Rajesh Gohel

(DATE WITH RTI completes 17 years on whispers)

No reply about Charitable Trust by the public authority

The Appellant filed an online RTI application dated 28.12.2023 seeking the information about Chiranjeev Charitable Trust which ran three schools. He asked how he was terminated without any show cause notice after 17 years of service. He sought for the permission letter for name change of the society from the Registrar office and other related information. The CIC observed that as per available record file, no reply was given to the Appellant at the initial stage by the answering Respondent and admonished him for the same. However, upon receipt of the hearing notice from the CIC, a suitable and pointwise reply has been given to the Appellant vide letter dated 06.10.2025, but, a copy of the same was not received by the Appellant. Accordingly, the CIC directed the Respondent to send a copy to the appellant along with relevant annexures, through speed-post as well as through email. Further, the CIC cautioned the Respondent Public Authority to act strictly within the precincts of the RTI Act by observing the timelines scrupulously and punctually, in future.

Comments

The simple act of replying to the RTI applicant can prevent the avoidable embarrassment of appearing before the CIC and wastage of time.

Citation: Vikram Singh v. Sub Registrar-VII (INA), Vikas Sadan, New Delh, File No: CIC/REVDP/A/2024/615016; 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

Dr. Suresh Mehrotra

Editor-in-Chief
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