1983 batch IAS officer and former Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan has been appointed as the new Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Chairperson, effective from August 1, 2024.
According to the reports, Preeti Sudan is currently a member of the Commission. She will take over from Manoj Soni. Manoj Soni, who took charge as the UPSC Chairperson in May 2022, still had 5 years left in his tenure. His resignation came amid the ongoing controversy regarding the use of fake caste and disability certificates by UPSC candidates for selection.
She will have a short tenure of eight months, until April 2025.
Before being appointed as Chairperson, Dr Soni served as a Member of the Union Public Service Commission from June 28, 2017, to May 15, 2023.
President Droupadi Murmu has approved the appointment of Preeti Sudan, Member of the UPSC, under clause (1A) of Article 316 of the Constitution to perform the duties of Chairman, UPSC, effective from 1st August 2024.
About Preeti Sudan
Preeti Sudan, a 1983 batch IAS officer from the Andhra Pradesh cadre, retired as Union Health Secretary in July 2020, with nearly 37 years of government administration experience. During her three-year tenure as Health Secretary, she played a key role in handling the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the last six months. Previously, she was Secretary of the Department of Food & Public Distribution and also worked in the Women & Child Development and Defence Ministries. In state administration, she managed Finance & Planning, Disaster Management, Tourism, and Agriculture. She holds an M.Phil in Economics and an M.Sc. in Social Policy and Planning from LSE.
Sudan contributed significantly to national programs, initiating major projects like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Ayushman Bharat, as well as legislation on the National Medical Commission, Allied Health Professionals Commission, and the e-cigarette ban. She also served as a consultant with the World Bank and held various leadership roles, such as Chair of COP-8 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Vice Chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Chair of the Global Digital Health Partnership, and member of WHO's Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. She joined the Union Public Service Commission as a member on November 29, 2022.
