Nidhi Tewari, a 2014 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, has been appointed as the Private Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved her appointment with immediate effect, as per a memorandum issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on March 29.
Who is Nidhi Tewari?
Tewari, who hails from Mehmurganj in Varanasi, secured the 96th rank in the Civil Services Examination of 2013. Varanasi has been the Prime Minister’s Lok Sabha constituency since 2014. Prior to this role, she was serving as a Deputy Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) since January 6, 2023, following her tenure as an Under Secretary in the same office in 2022.
She has over three years of experience at the PMO and has previously worked in the Ministry of External Affairs in the Disarmament and International Security Affairs Division.
At the PMO, she held the position of Deputy Secretary in the ‘Foreign and Security’ vertical, reporting to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Her responsibilities encompassed external affairs, atomic energy, security affairs, and the state of Rajasthan.
Tewari’s academic and professional accolades include the Ambassador Bimal Sanyal Memorial Medal for being the Best Officer Trainee and a Medal for Best Dissertation in 2016.
Before her selection into the civil services, she worked as an Assistant Commissioner (Commercial Tax) in Varanasi while preparing for the examination.
The Prime Minister has had two Private Secretaries in the past, Vivek Kumar and Hardik Satishchandra Shah. Tewari’s extensive experience in foreign and security affairs is expected to contribute significantly to her new role as the Private Secretary to the Prime Minister.
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