NEW DELHI: In two separate senior-level administrative developments, the Centre has approved the promotion of senior Indian Information Service officer Raj Kumar to the Director General level and appointed Uttarakhand-cadre IPS officer Parhlad Narayan Meena as Joint Director in the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB).
Raj Kumar, a 1995-batch IIS officer currently serving as Additional Director General (M&C) at the Press Information Bureau (PIB), New Delhi, has been promoted to the Director General level, Selection Grade, of the Indian Information Service Group ‘A’.
In a separate order, 2012-batch IPS officer Parhlad Narayan Meena has been appointed Joint Director, WCCB, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), on deputation.
Raj Kumar Promoted to Director General Level in IIS
According to an order issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on October 1, 2026, Raj Kumar (IIS:1995) has been granted provisional promotion to the Director General level, Selection Grade, of the Indian Information Service Group ‘A’.
The promotion carries Level 15 of the Pay Matrix and will take effect from the date Raj Kumar assumes charge of the post. It will remain effective until further orders.
The order further specifies that Raj Kumar will continue at his present place of posting in New Delhi on an “as is where is” basis until further orders.
The promotion has been made against a temporary vacancy that arose due to the deputation of a senior officer.
Read also: Who Is Dhirendra Ojha? Senior IIS Officer Gets One-Year Extension as PIB Principal Director General
Raj Kumar Currently Serves at PIB
Before his elevation, Raj Kumar was serving as Additional Director General (M&C) in the Senior Administrative Grade at the Press Information Bureau in New Delhi.
His promotion to the DG-level Selection Grade marks his elevation to one of the senior-most levels in the Indian Information Service.
However, there is no immediate change in his place of posting. The order specifically allows him to continue at PIB, New Delhi, on an “as is where is” basis.
The arrangement will continue until further orders.
Senior-Level Changes in Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Raj Kumar’s promotion comes amid a series of recent senior-level decisions involving the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.
Earlier, the Centre approved two proposals concerning senior positions under the ministry, involving senior IIS officers Dhirendra Ojha and Pragya Paliwal Gaur.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the re-employment of Dhirendra Ojha (IIS:1990) as Principal Director General, Press Information Bureau, on a contract basis for one year following his superannuation.
Ojha retired from service on September 30, 2026, and his re-employment is effective from October 1, 2026, for a period of one year, subject to the applicable terms and conditions.
Pragya Paliwal Gaur Also Gets Temporary Upgradation
The same set of decisions also involved Pragya Paliwal Gaur (IIS:1991).
A DG-level post under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has been temporarily upgraded to the Principal Director General level on a personal basis for Gaur.
The arrangement is linked to her remaining tenure in government service and is separate from Raj Kumar’s promotion to the DG-level Selection Grade.
Together, the recent decisions represent a series of senior-level personnel changes within the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and its associated organisations.
Parhlad Narayan Meena Appointed Joint Director in WCCB
In another senior appointment, Uttarakhand-cadre IPS officer Parhlad Narayan Meena (IPS:2012) has been appointed Joint Director in the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.
The WCCB functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and is responsible for strengthening enforcement and coordination against organised wildlife crime.
According to a Ministry of Home Affairs letter issued on September 29, 2026, the competent authority has approved Meena’s appointment as Joint Director in Level 13A of the 7th Central Pay Commission Pay Matrix.
The post has been earmarked for IPS officers under the Non-Central Staffing Scheme of the MoEFCC.
Earlier Appointed Deputy Director in WCCB
The latest appointment supersedes the MHA’s earlier letter dated August 20, 2026.
Under that earlier order, Meena had been appointed Deputy Director (Intelligence & Coordination) in the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.
He has now been appointed Joint Director, marking a change in the designation and level of his assignment in the organisation.
The latest order directs the Uttarakhand government to relieve Meena so that he can take up his new central assignment.
Meena to Handle Senior Role in Wildlife Crime Control
As Joint Director, WCCB, Meena will work under the administrative framework of the MoEFCC and contribute to the bureau’s mandate relating to wildlife crime control and enforcement coordination.
His appointment brings a serving IPS officer with state-policing experience into a specialised central role dealing with wildlife crime.
The assignment is on deputation and is against the post earmarked for IPS officers under the Non-Central Staffing Scheme of the ministry.
Two Different Administrative Moves
The two latest developments involve different streams of the All India and Central Civil Services.
Raj Kumar’s promotion is within the Indian Information Service and places him at the Director General level while allowing him to continue at PIB, New Delhi.
Parhlad Narayan Meena’s appointment, meanwhile, represents a central deputation assignment for an IPS officer in a specialised enforcement institution under the Environment Ministry.
Both orders underline the continuing movement of senior officers into higher-grade and specialised central-government responsibilities.
