IFS officer Nidhi Tewari has been appointed as private secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
She is a 2014-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer and is currently serving as deputy secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Tewari’s appointment as private secretary on a co-terminus basis, as per the order dated March 29. She will assume the role of Private Secretary at Level 12 of the pay matrix on a co-terminus basis or until further orders, whichever is earlier, the notification said.
Who is Nidhi Tewari?
Nidhi Tewari, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer from the 2014 batch, has been serving as Deputy Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) since January 6, 2023, after initially joining as Under Secretary in 2022.
She hails from Mehmurganj in Varanasi, which has been Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency since 2014. She secured the 96th rank in the Civil Services Examination in 2013. Before clearing the UPSC, she worked as an Assistant Commissioner (Commercial Tax) in Varanasi while preparing for the examination.
Before joining the PMO, she served in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), where she worked in the Disarmament and International Security Affairs Division. Her expertise in international relations later saw her play a key role in the PMO, particularly in the ‘Foreign and Security’ vertical, reporting directly to National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.
She handled crucial areas such as External Affairs, Atomic Energy, and Security Affairs, along with responsibilities related to the state of Rajasthan. Her deep involvement in foreign policy made her instrumental during India’s G20 presidency.