8th Pay Commission Committee Appointments

8th Pay Commission Committee Appointments: Key Highlights

On 13 September 2025, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved a major set of appointments at the Joint Secretary / Joint Secretary-equivalent level. These postings are at Level 14 of the Pay Matrix, which corresponds to senior administrative positions in the Government of India.

Although the document is labeled under the 8th Pay Commission Committee, it is not about pay revisions but about high-level postings in various ministries. Below is a summary of the key appointments.

Major Appointments Approved

1. Department of Atomic Energy – Ms. Nidhi Pandey (IAS, 1991 batch) as Joint Secretary.

2. Ministry of Coal – Shri Ashim Kumar Modi (IRS, 2000 batch) as Joint Secretary & Financial Advisor.

3. Ministry of Culture (National Museum) – Ms. Meenakshi Jolly (CSS) as Additional Director General.

4. Department of Defence (NDC) – Ms. Avita Sinha (IRPS, 2003 batch) as Senior Directing Staff.

5. Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation – Ms. Aishvarya Singh (IAS, 2008 batch) as Joint Secretary.

6. Department of Economic Affairs – Shri Amit Singla (IAS, 2003 batch) as Joint Secretary.

7. Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change – Shri Tarun Kumar Pithode (IAS, 2009 batch) as Joint Secretary.

8. Department of Expenditure – Ms. Ekroop Caur (IAS, 2001 batch) as Joint Secretary.

9. Department of Fertilizers – Shri Krishna Kant Pathak (IAS, 2001 batch) as Joint Secretary.

10. Department of Financial Services – Ms. Shalini Pandit (IAS, 2001 batch) as Joint Secretary.

(The document contains over 30 such appointments, covering Ministries of Home Affairs, Legal Affairs, NITI Aayog, Pharmaceuticals, Road Transport, Tourism, Women & Child Development, Youth Affairs, and others.)

Key Observations

All these postings are at the Joint Secretary (JS) level, a crucial tier in the bureaucracy that connects policymaking with implementation.

Some positions were filled by temporarily downgrading or upgrading posts to ensure continuity.

Officers from a wide variety of services—IAS, IRS, CSS, IPS, IRPS, IDAS, IRSEE, IFoS, IRSME, IRAS, IA&AS, IPoS—have been appointed.

The tenure of most appointments ranges from five years to superannuation dates, whichever comes earlier.

Significance

These appointments are part of routine senior-level postings but are critical for the smooth functioning of ministries.

The officers appointed will be responsible for policy formulation, financial management, administration, and execution of government programmes.

As they fall under the Pay Matrix Level 14, their service conditions and salary scales are indirectly linked with upcoming 8th Pay Commission reforms, which are expected to be effective from January 2026.