New Delhi: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the inter-cadre transfer of two Indian Administrative Service officers.
While 2024-batch IAS officer Carolyn Chingthianmawi has been transferred from the Telangana cadre to the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, 2007-batch officer Abhishek Singh has been transferred from West Bengal to Rajasthan under the central government’s Physically Handicapped (PH) policy dated February 14, 2014.
The ACC order does not specify a reason for Chingthianmawi’s transfer. In Singh’s case, the order cites the applicable PH policy.
Who Is Carolyn Chingthianmawi?
Carolyn Chingthianmawi is a 2024-batch IAS officer who was initially allocated the Telangana cadre as an outsider direct recruit.
She is known for becoming the first IAS officer from the Thangkhal tribe of Manipur and the first tribal woman from Manipur to directly enter the IAS.
Born on October 24, 1999, Chingthianmawi hails from Mualveng in Hiangtam Lamka, Manipur. She is the daughter of T. Pauminlianthang, a former president of the Thangkhal Peoples’ Organisation and Thangkhal Sinlai Pawlpi, and Lamneikim, who has been associated with the Zomi Mothers’ Association.
She is the third of four siblings, with two elder brothers and a younger sister.
From CA Aspirant to IAS Officer
Chingthianmawi’s educational journey took an unexpected turn after Class XII.
She cleared the CA Proficiency Test and moved to Shillong to pursue the CA Intermediate course. However, health-related difficulties prevented her from continuing with that path.
She subsequently shifted her focus to higher education and completed a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours). She emerged as a university topper under Manipur University in 2020 and later completed her M.Com.
Her academic performance was followed by another major achievement when she cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination in her first attempt.
UPSC Success Without Commercial Coaching
Chingthianmawi secured All India Rank 543 in the Civil Services Examination.
According to profiles of her journey, she prepared from home and did not enrol in commercial coaching classes.
Her success was particularly significant for the Thangkhal community of Manipur, from which she became the first IAS officer.
Early IAS Career in Telangana
After being allocated the Telangana cadre, Chingthianmawi underwent foundational training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Dehradun, followed by institutional training at the Dr MCR HRD Institute in Hyderabad.
She was posted as Assistant Collector (Under Training) in Nizamabad district, Telangana, with effect from April 28, 2025.
As part of the training programme for the 2024 IAS batch, she also had an opportunity to serve briefly as an Assistant Secretary at the Centre.
Her latest cadre change now takes her from Telangana to the Assam-Meghalaya cadre.
Abhishek Singh Moves From West Bengal to Rajasthan
The ACC has also approved the inter-cadre transfer of 2007-batch IAS officer Abhishek Singh from West Bengal to Rajasthan.
The transfer has been made under the central government’s Physically Handicapped policy dated February 14, 2014.
Singh’s career has been linked to a significant legal and administrative issue concerning the implementation of disability reservation in civil services cadre allocation.
The Supreme Court Case Behind Abhishek Singh’s IAS Allocation
Abhishek Singh cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2006 under the Locomotor Disability-Cerebral Palsy (LDCP) category.
His cadre allocation subsequently became the subject of a prolonged legal process concerning the implementation of reservation provisions for persons with benchmark disabilities.
The matter eventually reached the Supreme Court. On July 18, 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in his favour in Union of India v. Pankaj Kumar Srivastava & Anr., directing the government to upgrade and allot him to the IAS cadre with consequential seniority and benefits, according to the judgment.
The case consequently became an important development in the administrative implementation of disability-related reservation provisions in civil services.
From West Bengal to Rajasthan
Following his service in the West Bengal cadre, Singh has now been transferred to the Rajasthan cadre.
The ACC has cited the February 14, 2014, PH policy as the basis for the inter-cadre transfer.
The latest order thus covers two distinct cadre movements: a 2024-batch officer moving from Telangana to Assam-Meghalaya, and a 2007-batch officer moving from West Bengal to Rajasthan under the specified disability-related policy framework.
Two Inter-Cadre Transfers
The latest ACC decision involves:
- Carolyn Chingthianmawi (IAS: 2024: TG) – transferred from Telangana to Assam-Meghalaya cadre; the order does not specify a reason.
- Abhishek Singh (IAS: 2007: WB) – transferred from West Bengal to Rajasthan cadre under the PH policy dated February 14, 2014.
For Chingthianmawi, the move marks the latest chapter in the career of a young IAS officer whose entry into the service was notable for her representation of the Thangkhal community of Manipur. For Singh, the transfer follows a long administrative and legal journey concerning disability-related cadre allocation.
