In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the government has replaced current Director General of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, with Vir Vikram Yadav, who has been appointed as the new DGCA chief.
Vir Vikram Yadav is currently serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. With this appointment, he will now head India's aviation regulator at a time when the sector is witnessing rapid expansion, increasing air traffic and ongoing safety oversight reforms.
Meanwhile, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). Kidwai had taken charge as DGCA in January 2025 and served in the role for a little over a year.
The reshuffle comes at a crucial time for the aviation sector, with the DGCA closely monitoring airline safety, fleet expansion, airport infrastructure readiness and regulatory compliance amid strong growth in domestic and international air travel.
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The DGCA is responsible for regulating civil aviation in India, including air safety, licensing, airworthiness, and operational standards, making the position one of the most important regulatory roles in the country's aviation sector.
Alongside the DGCA reshuffle, the government announced several senior-level bureaucratic appointments:
- Puneet Kansal has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation by temporarily upgrading a vacant Joint Secretary post.
- Mona K. Khandar has been named Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- Gyanendra D. Tripathi has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research & Education, and Secretary of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
- Vishal Gagan has been appointed Secretary of the Central Information Commission, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.
- N. Gulzar has been appointed Member Secretary of the National Capital Region Planning Board under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, in the rank of Additional Secretary.
- Diwakar Nath Misra has been appointed Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Power.
- Debasish Prusty has been appointed Additional Secretary in the Department of Financial Services under the Ministry of Finance.
- Sridhar Chiruvolu has been elevated from Joint Secretary to Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office.
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