Mandeep K Bhandari Appointed CBSE Chairperson in Bureaucratic Reshuffle
Mandeep K Bhandari, a 2001-batch IAS officer, has been appointed CBSE chairperson, succeeding Lokhande Prashant Sitaram who held additional charge.
Senior bureaucrat Mandeep K Bhandari has been appointed chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), as part of a wider reshuffle of senior administrative posts approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. The order was issued by the Department of Personnel and Training.
Bhandari, a 2001-batch Indian Administrative Service officer of the AGMUT cadre — which covers Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and the Union Territories — succeeds Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, who had been holding additional charge of the post. With this appointment, the board gets a full-time chairperson.
A medical background and a long administrative record
Bhandari entered the civil services through direct recruitment via the UPSC Civil Services Examination, with Punjab recorded as his domicile state. His service records show more than 25 years in government and around ten postings across ten locations.
He holds an MBBS from Punjab University, Chandigarh, and Dayanand Medical College & Hospital, and his service profile lists qualifications in surgery and medicine.
His administrative career has spanned central and Union Territory roles, including Joint Secretary, Private Secretary to a Minister, Additional Chief Executive Officer, Deputy Commissioner, Additional Development Commissioner, Additional Secretary and Chief Administrative Officer. He is currently serving as Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
Leadership changes at the board
Sitaram was appointed CBSE chairman on June 2 this year, after the previous incumbent was moved out amid controversy over the On-Screen Marking system. He was subsequently appointed Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry on July 2 while retaining additional charge of the CBSE post.
The CBSE is among India's principal school education boards. It affiliates schools, conducts board examinations for Classes 10 and 12, and handles curriculum, assessment and related academic matters for its affiliated institutions in India and abroad.
Other appointments announced
The reshuffle also included several other senior postings. Vipin Kumar, Chairman of the Airports Authority of India, has been appointed Additional Secretary in the Department of Rural Development. Srikant Nagulapalli, Director General of Hydrocarbons, will move to the Department of Expenditure as Additional Secretary, while V Ponnuraj, a 2000-batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer, will take over as Director General of Hydrocarbons.
Sarita Chauhan Chand has been named Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Steel, and Anand Singh Additional Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs. P Hemalatha will be Additional Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training, and Piyush Singh in the Ministry of Power. Ankita Mishra Bundela has been appointed Additional Secretary in the Department of Higher Education, and Manisha Sensarma will serve as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.