Appointments Committee of the Cabinet Approves Rajit Punhani as CEO of FSSAI.
Appointment
In August 2025, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the appointment of senior IAS officer Rajit Punhani as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). This appointment came as part of a major top-level bureaucratic reshuffle involving multiple ministries and departments.
- Rajit Punhani, a 1991 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Bihar cadre, has been appointed as the new CEO of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). He will take charge after the retirement of Ganji Kamala V. Rao on 31st August 2025.
- Prior to his new appointment, Rajit Punhani was serving as the Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). His tenure in MSDE was marked by key reforms aimed at strengthening India’s skilling ecosystem and promoting industry-aligned vocational training.
- The ACC-approved reshuffle also included the appointment of Debashree Mukherjee, a 1991 batch IAS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre, as the new Secretary of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). She will succeed Rajit Punhani in this role.
Main Point :- (i) Another significant appointment was that of V L Kantha Rao, a 1992 batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre. He has been appointed as Secretary in the Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWRGR) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS).
(ii) Piyush Goyal, a 1994 batch IAS officer of the Nagaland cadre, has also been included in this reshuffle. He has been appointed as Secretary of the Ministry of Mines (MoM), a role crucial for India’s mineral exploration, mining sector reforms, and resource management.
(iii) The wide-ranging bureaucratic reshuffle reflects the Government of India’s focus on administrative continuity, efficiency, and leadership in key regulatory and developmental sectors. These appointments are expected to enhance governance in areas like food safety, skill development, water resources, and mining, all of which are critical for India’s growth trajectory.
About Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
Established : 2008
Headquarters: New Delhi
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