New Delhi: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the inter-cadre transfer of Kshetrimayum Deepi Chanu, a 2024-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, from the Tamil Nadu cadre to the Assam-Meghalaya cadre.
The approval marks a significant transition in the career of the young officer, who has an unusual civil services journey. Before joining the IAS, Deepi Chanu had already cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination and entered the Indian Police Service (IPS) in the 2021 batch.
The ACC’s decision was reported on October 6, 2026, with the transfer proposal moved by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
Who Is Kshetrimayum Deepi Chanu?
Kshetrimayum Deepi Chanu is a 2024-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, with Manipur as her home state. Her date of birth is May 27, 1997.
Her official service records identify her as a direct recruit to the IAS through the UPSC Civil Services Examination. Publicly available service records also show that she had been serving as an Assistant Collector (Training) in Tiruchirappalli district since June 10, 2025.
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The CSE 2023 cadre-allocation list records Deepi Chanu at All India Rank 508, with Manipur as her home state and Tamil Nadu as her allotted cadre.
Her selection was particularly notable because she had already entered the IPS before appearing again for the civil services examination and subsequently securing the IAS.
From Manipur to Multiple Cities Across India
Deepi Chanu hails from Kakching in Manipur. Her father, Kshetrimayum Deben Singh, is an Indian Air Force veteran, and his service meant that she spent her childhood in different parts of the country.
According to biographical accounts about her journey, she studied in 11 different schools while growing up.
The experience of moving across different parts of India exposed her to diverse social and cultural environments from an early age. She later pursued higher education in Delhi, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Economics from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi.
She subsequently joined Jawaharlal Nehru University in 2019 for a master’s programme but left after the first semester to concentrate fully on preparation for the civil services examination.
Her Unusual Journey From IPS to IAS
What makes Deepi Chanu’s career particularly distinctive is that the IAS is not her first All India Service.
She had earlier cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination and entered the Indian Police Service in the 2021 batch. Government records list her as a direct-recruit IPS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre, with Manipur as her home state.
Her transition from the IPS to the IAS came after she appeared for the civil services examination again.
In the UPSC CSE 2023 final examination, she secured AIR 508 and was subsequently allocated the IAS. The official cadre-allocation document lists her as a Manipur-origin candidate allotted the Tamil Nadu cadre as an outsider.
The result made her journey unusual: she had first entered one All India Service and then returned to the competitive examination process to secure another.
AIR 508 in UPSC CSE 2023
Deepi Chanu was among the successful candidates from Manipur in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2023.
The UPSC announced the CSE 2023 final result on April 16, 2024, with 1,016 candidates recommended for appointment. Deepi Chanu secured All India Rank 508.
Her rank also appears in the official cadre-allocation record, which subsequently allotted her the Tamil Nadu cadre.
She was reportedly among the candidates who performed strongly in the Personality Test, with publicly available marks data listing 215 out of 275 in the interview.
IAS Posting in Tamil Nadu
After joining the IAS, Deepi Chanu was allocated the Tamil Nadu cadre.
Her first recorded field assignment was as Assistant Collector (Training) in Tiruchirappalli district, where she joined on June 10, 2025.
During her tenure in Tamil Nadu, she was also associated with civil services awareness and coaching-related initiatives, including interactions aimed at encouraging aspirants from the state and sharing her own experience of preparing for the UPSC examination.
Tamil Nadu government records also show her participation in departmental training and language-related examinations during her period in the cadre.
Now Transferred to Assam-Meghalaya Cadre
The latest development in her career is the inter-cadre transfer from Tamil Nadu to the Assam-Meghalaya cadre.
The ACC approved the DoPT proposal for her transfer, moving her from the Tamil Nadu cadre to the Assam-Meghalaya cadre.
The transfer is particularly significant given her Manipur roots. The Assam-Meghalaya cadre covers the two northeastern states and is part of the cadre structure serving the region.
Her move will take her from a southern state cadre to a cadre covering the Northeast, closer to her home state of Manipur.
Interest in Inclusive Policy and Social Issues
During her civil services journey and training, Deepi Chanu has spoken about the importance of policy interventions for vulnerable and marginalised communities.
She has expressed interest in issues relating to transgender rights and inclusive education, including the discrimination faced by transgender persons in educational settings.
Her policy interests reflect the broader transition in her career from policing to administration, where her role will involve a wider range of governance and public-policy responsibilities.
A Career That Stands Out
Deepi Chanu’s professional journey is notable not simply because she cleared the UPSC examination twice, but because each success led to a different All India Service.
She first entered the IPS in 2021 and subsequently appeared again for the civil services examination, securing AIR 508 in CSE 2023 and joining the IAS in the 2024 batch.
Her journey from Manipur to the IPS, then to the IAS and from Tamil Nadu to the Assam-Meghalaya cadre represents an unusual trajectory within the All India Services.
The latest inter-cadre transfer will now take her back to the broader Northeast region, where she will continue her career as a young IAS officer in the Assam-Meghalaya cadre.
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