New Delhi: The selection process for the next Chairperson of the Centre for Personnel Talent Management (CEPTAM), DRDO, has moved forward after the official appointment notice closed on September 16.
The DRDO had invited applications for the post from August 25 to September 16, 2026. The official notice establishes that the selection process was underway during this period, but it does not announce the name of the eventual appointee.
Reports have identified Dr. B.K. Das and Prateek Kishore among the prominent names associated with the selection process. However, their appointment to the CEPTAM post has not been officially announced.
The final appointment is subject to the prescribed selection process and approval of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
B.K. Das and Prateek Kishore Among Names Reported
According to a report by Whispers in the Corridors, B.K. Das and Prateek Kishore have emerged as the leading names for the CEPTAM Chairperson post. This is a media report and not an official DRDO announcement of the selection.
Both scientists currently hold senior Director General-level responsibilities within DRDO.
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The organisation’s official “Our Team” page lists Dr. B.K. Das as Distinguished Scientist & Director General of the Electronics and Communication Systems (ECS) Cluster and Prateek Kishore as Distinguished Scientist & Director General of the Armament & Combat Engineering Systems (ACE) Cluster.
Dr. B.K. Das
Dr. B.K. Das is currently heading DRDO’s Electronics and Communication Systems Cluster as Distinguished Scientist and Director General. His present assignment places him among the senior technical leadership of the organisation.
His career has included responsibilities associated with defence electronics, communication systems and testing-related technologies. He has also headed the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, one of DRDO’s important test facilities.
Reports discussing the wider DRDO leadership selection have also included his name among senior scientists being considered for top-level responsibilities.
Prateek Kishore
Prateek Kishore is currently Distinguished Scientist and Director General of DRDO’s Armament & Combat Engineering Systems Cluster.
His portfolio covers armament and combat engineering systems, placing him in one of DRDO’s major technical clusters dealing with systems and technologies for the armed forces.
Media reports on the current leadership exercise have also highlighted his name. However, as with B.K. Das, there is no official announcement yet naming him as the next CEPTAM Chairperson.
Other Senior Scientists in the Wider DRDO Leadership Discussion
The CEPTAM Chairperson process should be distinguished from the broader question of who will eventually head DRDO as Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development and Chairman, DRDO.
Reports concerning the larger DRDO leadership selection have mentioned several senior scientists, including Dr. Jagannath Nayak, Anindya Biswas and Dr. Anupam Sharma, besides B.K. Das and Prateek Kishore.
The official DRDO leadership page currently lists:
- Dr. Jagannath Nayak — Distinguished Scientist & Director General, Missiles and Strategic Systems.
- Shri Anindya Biswas — Distinguished Scientist & Director General, Aeronautical Systems.
- Dr. Anupam Sharma — Distinguished Scientist & Director General, Technology Management.
The same official listing includes B.K. Das and Prateek Kishore in their respective technical clusters.
These names therefore relate to the wider senior leadership discussion and should not automatically be treated as an officially announced shortlist for the CEPTAM Chairperson position.
What Is CEPTAM and What Does Its Chairperson Do?
The Centre for Personnel Talent Management (CEPTAM) is a DRDO centre responsible for important personnel-related functions.
The official DRDO appointment notice describes CEPTAM as a premier DRDO centre entrusted with the recruitment of technical, administrative and allied category non-gazetted personnel, assessment of DRTC officers and staff, and facilitation of training for these cadres.
The Chairperson position is therefore linked to a specialised institutional role within DRDO’s personnel recruitment, assessment and training framework.
What Does the Official Appointment Notice Say?
The DRDO appointment notice provides for the selection of the Chairperson through a Search-cum-Selection Committee.
An earlier official DRDO notice for the same post specified that the appointment is to be made on a contractual basis with ACC approval, for a period of up to three years or until the appointee reaches 65 years of age, whichever is earlier, or until further orders.
The latest August-September 2026 notice confirms the fresh appointment process, with the application window beginning on August 25 and closing on September 16.
Therefore, the closing of applications does not itself mean that the appointment has been finalised.
Rajesh Kumar Singh Holding Additional Charge of DRDO Chairman
The CEPTAM appointment is taking place against a wider leadership transition at DRDO.
Dr. Samir V. Kamat, who had served as Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO, retired on May 31, 2026.
Following his retirement, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, an IAS officer of 1989 batch from the Kerala cadre, was given additional charge of Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development and Chairman, DRDO. DRDO’s current official leadership page continues to list Singh in that additional-charge role.
Kamat had been appointed as DRDO Chairman in August 2022 and his tenure had been extended by the ACC up to May 31, 2026.
CEPTAM Post and DRDO Chairman Post Are Different
The two appointments should not be confused.
The Chairperson, CEPTAM is a specific leadership position within DRDO’s personnel and talent-management structure. The Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO is the organisation’s overall top leadership position.
While some of the same senior scientists have been mentioned in media reports concerning DRDO’s wider leadership discussions, the official CEPTAM notice does not establish that the names reported for the broader DRDO Chairman selection are the final candidates for the CEPTAM post.
What Happens Next?
With the September 16 application deadline over, the selection process can now move through the prescribed scrutiny and selection stages.
The official DRDO notice does not identify the eventual appointee. The names of B.K. Das and Prateek Kishore have been reported as leading contenders, but the final appointment remains subject to the formal selection process and the required ACC approval.
For now, Rajesh Kumar Singh continues to hold additional charge as Secretary DDR&D and Chairman, DRDO, while the organisation awaits formal decisions on its senior leadership appointments.
The Centre for Personnel Talent Management (CEPTAM)
The Centre for Personnel Talent Management (CEPTAM) is a premier corporate body of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), operating under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. Located at Metcalfe House in Delhi, its primary mandate is the national-level recruitment of all non-gazetted technical, administrative, and allied cadre personnel across DRDO’s nationwide network of laboratories.
Beyond hiring through its multi-tiered competitive examinations – such as tests for Senior Technical Assistants (STA-B) and Technicians—CEPTAM is also responsible for the institutional assessment, promotion coordination, and training development of the DRDO Technical Cadre (DRTC) to ensure a highly skilled workforce for India’s defence research sector.
