Inside Raisina Hill: NITI Aayog CEO, French Civilian Award, & ONGC

From the Government of France's decision to confer its top civilian award to former IFS officer Jawed Ashraf to ONGC receiving three major accolades at the PSE Awards, find out the major takeaways from this week

Mar 06, 2026 · 4 min read

NITI Aayog, PSE Awards, IAS Cadre, IFS Officer, Narcotics Control Bureau, ONGC, CBIC, Nidhi Chhiber

Raisina Hill is where the country's policymaking heart lies. What the mandarins, who sit in the hallowed halls of the early 20th century structure called South and North blocs, decide is the final word in running India.

As one walks down the Hill along the Rajpath, now renamed Kartavya Path, come other edifices — Rail Bhavan, Krishi Bhavan, Shashtri Bhavan, and Kartavya Bhavan on one side and Sena Bhavan, Udyog Bhavan, and Vanijya Bhavan on the other. The bureaucrats who adorn the offices in these buildings decide on India's economic, social, and industrial policies. There are many tales to be told from the corridors of these grandiose buildings. We let you in on some of them here in this week's edition of "Inside Raisina Hill".

NITI Aayog To Get Regular CEO

Even though Nidhi Chhibber has been given additional charge as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog, speculations are that the government will soon appoint a regular CEO.

Chhibbar was appointed the interim CEO of NITI Aayog after B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, a retired IAS officer (1987 batch), demitted office on February 24.

As per sources, 1990-batch Sanjay Kumar, who is currently Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, is likely to be made the CEO of NITI Aayog. Kumar is known for implementing the government’s flagship social sector schemes, including the New Education Policy (NEP). Kumar is scheduled to superannuate from service this year.

French Civilian Award To Retired IFS Officer Jawed Ashraf

The Government of France will confer the Commander of the Legion of Honneur on former Indian envoy to Paris Jawed Ashraf (IFS, 1991 batch).

Ashraf is currently the Chairman of the Indian Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO). He had earlier served as the Indian Ambassador to Singapore and Joint Secretary in the PMO, before superannuating in 2025.

The announcement was made by the French Secretary General for Foreign Affairs, Anne Marie Descot. The formal ceremony to confer the insignia will be organised by the French Ambassador to India on March 18, 2026, at a ceremony in New Delhi. The Legion of Honneur, instituted in 1802, is the highest category of the French civilian award.

Ex-DGP Rajeev Kumar Gets RS Nomination

Ahead of the Rajya Sabha biennial elections announced for March 16, retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Rajeev Kumar (1989 batch) is among the candidates announced by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal.

Kumar was appointed the Director General of Police (DGP) in December 2023, following the retirement of Manoj Malaviya. He had also served as the chief of the Kolkata Police and the Bidhannagar Police, and as the Principal Secretary of the Department of Information Technology and Electronics.

In 2019, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had accused Kumar of suppressing and destroying evidence in the investigation of the Saradha scam. Later, the Supreme Court granted Kumar protection from arrest.

IRS Wankhede To Face Disciplinary Proceedings

Recently, the Delhi High Court ruled in favour of the Central government, which had filed a plea challenging the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order quashing disciplinary action against 2008-batch IRS officer Sameer Wankhede.

The CAT, in it order in January 2026, had restrained the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) from proceeding further against Wankhede amid allegations linked to a preliminary inquiry conducted by a Special Enquiry Team (SET), which examined complaints against him following his role in the high-profile 2021 Cordelia cruise drug seizure case.

Wankhede was then serving with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Wankhede had contended that the findings of the preliminary inquiry could not be used as the basis for formal disciplinary action and that the CBIC had failed to follow due process. He also contended that the charge memorandum issued to him was arbitrary, legally unsustainable, and motivated by malice.

In its order, the CAT agreed with Wankhede’s submissions and quashed the charge memorandum, observing that the government acted against the officer in a biased manner.

ONGC Bags PSE Awards 2025

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) bagged three major accolades in the Maharatnas & Navratnas category at the 15th India Public Sector Enterprises (PSE) Awards 2025, which was organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) recently.

The awards included CEO/CMD of the Year (conferred on Arun Singh, Chairman and MD, ONGC); Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability Award; and Contribution of Women & Differently Abled in PSEs Award.

The ICC PSE Excellence Awards, instituted in association with the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), honours PSEs that contribute significantly to India’s economic growth. The awards celebrate organisations that excel in sustainability, innovation, governance, and global competitiveness.