Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Jul 3: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Prashant Sitaram Lokhande, a 2001-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, as Additional Secretary in the Department of Home under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Lokhande will continue to hold the additional charge of Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) until a regular appointment is made or further orders are issued.

Lokhande took charge as CBSE Chairperson on June 2, succeeding Rahul Singh, who has since been appointed Additional Secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare under the Ministry of Agriculture.

The DoPT order stated that the ACC has approved Lokhande's appointment in the Home Ministry while allowing him to simultaneously oversee the CBSE.

In a separate order, the ACC appointed Indian Information Service (IIS) officer Varun Bhardwaj as Secretary of the CBSE. Bhardwaj, who is currently serving as Director in the Department of Higher Education, will hold the post until September 19, 2027, under the Central Staffing Scheme.

He replaces IAS officer Himanshu Gupta, who has been repatriated to his parent cadre in the Ministry of Home Affairs before completing his central deputation.

The ACC also approved the Department of School Education and Literacy's proposal for Gupta's premature repatriation on administrative grounds, subject to the prescribed conditions governing the extended cooling-off period.