New Delhi: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved a fresh round of appointments to strategic foreign and captive posts of the Government of India, posting senior officers from the IAS, IRS and other Central Services to prestigious international institutions and Indian diplomatic missions abroad.
Issued through Order No. 4/2/2026-FA(UN) dated August 5, 2026, the decisions cover 10 appointments at the Joint Secretary, Director and Deputy Secretary levels, besides granting a two-year extension to a senior officer currently serving at the World Bank.
The newly appointed officers will represent India at institutions such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), World Trade Organization (WTO) and the SAARC Secretariat, while others have been posted to Indian Embassies in Tokyo, Rome and Washington DC.
All appointments have been approved on deputation for three years from the date of assumption of charge or until further orders, with the officers’ existing tenures under the Central Staffing Scheme being curtailed.
Five Joint Secretary-Level Appointments Approved
The ACC approved five appointments at the Joint Secretary level.
Baldeo Purushartha (IAS:2002:Punjab), presently Joint Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, has been appointed Senior Adviser to the Executive Director at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Manila. He will succeed Ponnuraj V. (IAS:2000:Karnataka).
Rahul Jain (IAS:2005:Madhya Pradesh), currently Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, has been appointed Senior Adviser to the Executive Director (India) at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington DC. He replaces Anand Singh (IAS:2000:Kerala).
Brij Mohan Mishra (IAS:2008:AGMUT), Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, has been appointed Minister (Economic and Commercial) at the Embassy of India in Tokyo under the Department of Economic Affairs. He will take over from Debjani Chakrabarti (IAS:2002:Odisha) after completion of her tenure.
Balamurugan D. (IAS:2005:Bihar), currently Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, has been appointed Minister (Agriculture) at the Embassy of India in Rome under the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. He succeeds Jujjavarapu Balaji (IAS:2001:Assam-Meghalaya).
Satyajit Mohanty (IRS-C&IT:1999), Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, has been appointed Representative of India to the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Montreal under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. He replaces Angshumali Rastogi (IRSME:1995).
Hemang Jani Gets Two-Year Extension at World Bank
The ACC has also approved a two-year extension in the tenure of Hemang Jani, who is serving as Senior Adviser to the Executive Director at the World Bank, Washington DC.
His tenure has been extended beyond July 16, 2027, up to July 16, 2029, or until his successor assumes charge, whichever is earlier.
Five More Officers Appointed at Director and Deputy Secretary Levels
The ACC also cleared five appointments at the Director and Deputy Secretary levels.
Kapil Patidar (IES:2011), Director in the Department of Economic Affairs, has been appointed Adviser to the Executive Director (India) at the IMF, Washington DC.
Gopalakrishnan Ganesan (IRAS:2009), Director in the Ministry of Steel, has been appointed Counsellor (Economic) in the Economic Wing of the Embassy of India, Washington DC. He succeeds Vivek Chaudhary (IES:2011).
Aditya Rajendra Bhojgadhiya (IA&AS:2013), Joint Director at the National Testing Agency (NTA), has been appointed First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of India to the WTO in Geneva under the Department of Commerce. He replaces Ashish Chandolkar upon completion of the latter’s tenure.
Jivisha Joshi Gangopadhyay (IRTS:2013), Deputy Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), has been appointed First Secretary (Legal) at the Permanent Mission of India to the WTO, Geneva. She will succeed Nidhi Srivastava (IAS:2010:AGMUT).
Subhash Kumar (IDAS:2011), Director in the Ministry of Defence, has been appointed Director at the SAARC Secretariat, Kathmandu, under the Ministry of External Affairs. He replaces Bhavesh R. Trivedi (ITS:2000).
Strengthening India’s Global Representation
The latest appointments reinforce the government’s strategy of placing experienced officers in key multilateral institutions and diplomatic missions to strengthen India’s engagement on international economic, financial, trade, aviation and regional cooperation issues.
The officers will represent India across major global platforms dealing with development finance, international trade, civil aviation, regional cooperation and bilateral economic relations.
