Who is IFS Officer Nidhi Tewari, Appointed As Private Secretary To PM Modi?

The central government announced on Monday that Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Nidhi Tewari has been appointed as Private Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Nidhi Tewari has been promoted from her role as Deputy Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, according to an official order.

Photo Credit: https://x.com/OfficialPreetiM

"The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Ms Nidhi Tewari, IFS (2014), currently serving as Deputy Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, in Level 12 of the pay matrix with immediate effect, on a co-terminus basis or until further orders, whichever is earlier," stated the order issued by the Ministry of Personnel on March 29.

Who is Nidhi Tewari?

Nidhi Tewari is reportedly from Mehmurganj in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, which has been Prime Minister Modi's parliamentary constituency since 2014.

A 2014 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, she ranked 96th in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination, according to a report by News18.

Before passing the UPSC exam, Tewari worked as an Assistant Commissioner (Commercial Tax) in Varanasi and continued her exam preparation while in employment, the report mentioned.

She joined the Prime Minister's Office as an Under Secretary in 2022 and was promoted to Deputy Secretary on January 6, 2023.

At the PMO, she served in the 'Foreign and Security' division, which reports to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Additionally, she has worked in the Ministry of External Affairs' Disarmament and International Security Affairs Division.

Prime Minister Modi is supported by two Private Secretaries - Vivek Kumar and Hardik Satishchandra Shah.

In February, former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das was appointed as 'Principal Secretary-2' to Prime Minister Modi.

Shaktikanta Das, who served as RBI Governor for six years, stepped down from his position in December last year. Sanjay Malhotra succeeded him as the 26th Governor of the apex bank.

(With PTI inputs)