Bhubaneswar: The Centre has extended the tenure of retired senior Odisha cadre IAS officer Saurabh Garg as Secretary of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) for another year, allowing him to continue in the post until July 31, 2027.
The extension was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), according to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). Garg, a 1991-batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre who retired from service on July 31, 2024, has been retained on a contract basis for a further period of one year beyond July 31, 2026.
The DoPT order also stated that Garg will continue to discharge the responsibilities of Secretary to the National Statistics Commission during the extended tenure.
This marks the second consecutive one-year extension granted to the senior bureaucrat after his retirement. His contractual appointment, which was initially valid until July 31, 2025, had earlier been extended by a year till July 31, 2026.
Garg assumed additional charge as Secretary, MoSPI, on April 15, 2024, while serving as Secretary in the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment. Ahead of his retirement, the Centre appointed him as Secretary of the ministry until July 31, 2024. Following his superannuation, he was reappointed on a contractual basis for one year, with successive extensions enabling him to continue in the role.
With the latest ACC approval, Garg will remain at the helm of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and continue overseeing the functioning of the National Statistics Commission until July 31, 2027.
