The Indian government has appointed Nidhi Tewari, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer from the 2014 batch, as Private Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with immediate effect.
According to The Economic Times, Tewari is currently serving as Deputy Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and will now take on her new role at Level 12 of the pay matrix. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved her appointment following an order from the Department of Personnel & Training.
What makes this appointment special is Tewari's connection to Modi's constituency. She comes from Mehmurganj in Varanasi, which has been Modi's Lok Sabha seat since 2014. Before joining the Civil Services, she worked as an Assistant Commissioner in the Commercial Tax department in Varanasi while preparing for her Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams.
Tewari secured the 96th rank in the 2013 Civil Services Examination and joined the Indian Foreign Service. Before moving to the PMO as Under Secretary in 2022, she worked in the Ministry of External Affairs, focusing on disarmament and international security.
In the Prime Minister's Office, she has handled important responsibilities in the Foreign and Security division, reporting directly to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Her expertise proved particularly valuable during India's G20 presidency.
