New Delhi: The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has announced the appointment of IAS officer Swadha Dev Singh (IAS:2014:OD) as the new Director of Census Operations (DCO) and Director of Citizen Registration (DCR) at the Office of the Registrar General of India (RGI), New Delhi. This appointment comes under the Central Staffing Scheme and was approved by the Competent Authority at the Deputy Secretary level.
Appointment Details and Tenure
According to an official order issued on Friday, September 26, 2025, Swadha Dev Singh will hold the position up to December 31, 2025. The tenure may be extended further subject to the admissible period under the Central Staffing Scheme or until further orders, whichever occurs earlier. Prior to this, she was serving as Additional Secretary in the Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water (PR & DW) Department in Odisha.
The DoPT has directed that Singh be relieved from her current responsibilities in Odisha and report to her new assignment in New Delhi without delay.
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Premature Repatriation of IAS Officer Kaushick Saha
Simultaneously, the DoPT has issued an order regarding IAS officer Kaushick Saha (IAS:2010:WB), who was serving as the Director of Census Operations and Director of Citizen Registration at the Deputy Secretary level for West Bengal within the RGI office.
Effective immediately, Saha has been prematurely repatriated to his parent cadre in West Bengal on administrative grounds, as approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). This decision was conveyed in an order dated September 25, 2025.
Saha had been appointed to the DCO/DCR post in February 2023 and was initially slated to serve until December 31, 2025. However, his tenure was cut short to enable his return to West Bengal.
Background on the Registrar General of India’s Staffing
The Office of the Registrar General of India is responsible for vital statistics including census operations and citizen registration across the country. Positions such as DCO and DCR are critical for managing large-scale data collection and civil registration activities, which impact policymaking and governance at multiple levels.
Looking Ahead
Swadha Dev Singh’s appointment marks a significant transition in the leadership at RGI, with expectations that her administrative expertise will strengthen census and citizen registration operations nationwide. Meanwhile, Kaushick Saha’s early repatriation highlights the fluidity and administrative adjustments often seen in central staffing.
