New Delhi: Nidhi Tewari, a young Indian Foreign Services (IFS) officer, has been appointed as Private Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
An IFS officer from the 2014 batch, Nidhi’s new role has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet with immediate effect.
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Ms Nidhi Tewari, IFS (2014) currently serving as Deputy Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, in the Level 12 of the pay matrix with immediate effect, on co-terminus basis or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” said the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) order dated March 29.
Modi, who is in his third term as India’s Prime Minister, had two Private Secretaries – Vivek Kumar and Hardik Satishchandra Shah – before the recent appointment of Nidhi.
Nidhi hails from Mehmurganj in Varanasi, which is Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency since 2014.
Tewari has been serving as Deputy Secretary in the PMO since November 2022. Before that, she was Under Secretary in the Disarmament and International Security Affairs Division at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), where she handled key diplomatic assignments.
At the PMO, Nidhi has worked in the ‘Foreign and Security’ vertical that reports to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. She took care of areas like External Affairs, Atomic Energy and Security Affairs, as well as the state of Rajasthan, reported CNN-News18.
Nidhi, who secured 96th rank in the 2013 Civil Services Examination, was presented the Award of Ambassador Bimal Sanyal Memorial Medal for being the Best Officer Trainee and the Medal for Best Dissertation in 2016.
Her elevation reflects the Central government’s policy of trusting young diplomats with proven administrative and foreign policy expertise.
