Who Is Preeti Sudan, New UPSC Chief Taking Over After Manoj Soni's Resignation?

Following the unprecedented resignation of Manoj Soni, IAS officer Preeti Sudan has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Sudan's appointment comes amidst an ongoing controversy involving probationary IAS officer Pooja Khedkar's alleged falsification of records.

Who is Preeti Sudan

An IAS officer from the 1983 batch of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, Sudan retired as Union Health Secretary in July 2020. With nearly 37 years of experience in government administration, her most recent role involved managing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her career includes several contributions in various ministries - Health, Food & Public Distribution, Women & Child Development, and Defence.

She has also served in state administration, handling Finance & Planning, Disaster Management, Tourism, and Agriculture. Sudan holds an M.Phil in Economics and an M.Sc. in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics.

She has been involved in several national and international roles, including as Chair of COP-8 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and Vice Chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.

Sudan joined the UPSC as a member on November 29, 2022.

About Manoj Soni

Manoj Soni resigned from his position as UPSC Chairman citing "personal reasons" before his term was set to end in May 2029.

Soni, an eminent educationist, had assumed office on May 16, 2023, after serving as a UPSC member since June 28, 2017. Prior to his role at the UPSC, Soni had served as Vice-Chancellor of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University and The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.

He is recognised for his academic contributions and extensive publications.