Four Officers Get New Central Assignments In Census, Health Research & Aviation

Rajarshi Mitra, a 2012-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, has been appointed Director of Census Operations (DCO) and Director of Citizen Registration (DCR) in West Bengal for a tenure of three years. Jitender Yadav, a 2010-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, has been assigned the corresponding responsibilities in Lakshadweep on an additional-charge basis.

The other two appointments are in the Department of Health Research and the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Iftakhar Ahmed Chowdhry, a 2013-batch IRS (C&IT) officer, has been appointed Deputy Secretary in the Department of Health Research for four years. Rahul Hooda, a 2015-batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre, has been appointed Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation for a similar four-year tenure.

Regular vs Additional Charge

The appointments in West Bengal and Lakshadweep highlight two different approaches to assigning responsibility for census operations and citizen registration. While Rajarshi Mitra has been appointed to the director-level posts in West Bengal, Jitender Yadav will handle the corresponding responsibilities in Lakshadweep on an additional-charge basis.

The distinction is administratively significant. An additional-charge arrangement places another responsibility on an officer alongside their existing duties, whereas a regular appointment assigns the officer to the designated post. However, the DoPT order does not specify the reason for the additional-charge arrangement in Lakshadweep or provide details of the existing administrative structure. It would therefore be premature to attribute the decision to a vacancy or a specific administrative requirement.

Central Deputation Broadens Departmental Exposure

The appointments of Iftakhar Ahmed Chowdhry and Rahul Hooda illustrate the deployment of officers to different functional areas under the Central Staffing Scheme.

Chowdhry was recommended for central deputation by the Department of Revenue before being selected for appointment as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Health Research. Hooda’s appointment places him in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, with the order communicated through the Chief Secretary of Haryana.

Both officers have been appointed for four years from the date they assume charge, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. Such postings provide officers an opportunity to work within the central government’s administrative framework beyond their parent cadre or department. However, the appointment orders do not specify individual projects, policy assignments or departmental priorities for either officer. The appointments should therefore be viewed as administrative postings rather than evidence of any particular policy initiative.

Three-Week Deadline for Joining

A common procedural condition appears in all four appointment orders: officers are required to join their new assignments within three weeks of the issuance of the DoPT appointment order. The orders refer to the directions of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), conveyed through the DoPT circular dated August 17, 2005.

Failure to join within the prescribed period may trigger proceedings for debarment from the Central Staffing Scheme. This condition underscores the importance of timely compliance in central deputation appointments, alongside the formal approval of the postings.