New Delhi: In a significant administrative move, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Tuesday approved the empanelment of 35 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers from the 1993 and 1994 batches for appointments to Director General (DG) or DG-equivalent positions in the Government of India.
This empanelment represents a crucial elevation for several seasoned officers, many of whom are already serving in top positions across central and state policing bodies.
Empanelment Details
The list includes a diverse and regionally representative mix of officers from various cadres including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, AGMUT, Punjab, and others. The empanelled officers are now eligible for central appointments in key security and administrative roles.
IPS Officers Empanelled for DG/DG-Equivalent Posts:
From 1993 Batch:
- Jitendra Kumar (Bihar)
- Neeraja Gotru Rao (Gujarat)
- Manvinder Singh Bhatia (Jharkhand)
- R P Rao Koche (Odisha)
- Rajiv Singh (Tripura)
- Zaki Ahmad (Uttar Pradesh)
- Yeshwant Kumar Jethwa (Odisha)
- From 1994 Batch:
- Anurag Kumar (AGMUT)
- Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gilani (AGMUT)
- Deepak Kumar (Arunachal Pradesh)
- A Ravi Shankar (Andhra Pradesh)
- Amit Kumar (Bihar)
- Anupama Nilekar Chandra (Bihar)
- Manoj Shashidhar (Gujarat)
- Rakesh Aggarwal (Himachal Pradesh)
- Sampat Meena (Jharkhand)
- Pronab Mohanty (Karnataka)
- Anant Kumar Singh (Madhya Pradesh)
- Manmeet Singh Narang (Madhya Pradesh)
- Amardeep Singh Rai (Punjab)
- Anita Punj (Punjab)
- Praveen Kumar Sinha (Punjab)
- Sudhanshu S Srivastava (Punjab)
- Rajesh Kumar Arya (Rajasthan)
- Apte Vinayak Prabhakar (Telangana)
- Shikha Goel (Telangana)
- G Venkataraman (Tamil Nadu)
- Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal (Tamil Nadu)
- Akhil Kumar (Uttar Pradesh)
- Prakash D (Uttar Pradesh)
- Raja Srivastava (Uttar Pradesh)
- Sujeet Pandey (Uttar Pradesh)
DG-Equivalent Empanelment
Apart from full-fledged DG posts, three officers have been empanelled for DG-equivalent roles, a recognition of their exceptional service in specialized or technical assignments:
- Neeraj Thakur (IPS:1994:AGMUT)
- Kala Ramachandran (IPS:1994:Haryana)
- Anurag (IPS:1994:Tripura)
Significance of the Move
This mass empanelment reflects the Central Government’s efforts to bring experienced leadership into key security and administrative institutions. With national security, border management, cybercrime, and disaster response becoming increasingly complex, these officers are expected to bring institutional strength and policy continuity.
Notably, several empanelled officers like Jitendra Kumar and Syed Javaid Gilani have already held or are holding influential positions at the state and central levels, underlining the Centre’s preference for a mix of operational and administrative experience.
Expert Views
A senior Ministry of Home Affairs official called it a “strategic move to inject seasoned leadership into India’s internal security architecture.” He noted that many of the empanelled officers are likely to take up senior roles in paramilitary forces, investigative agencies, and central police organizations in the coming months.
