The government on Tuesday appointed senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Vir Vikram Yadav as the Director General of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), replacing Faiz Ahmed Kidwai. Vir Vikram Yadav, an Odisha cadre IAS officer replaces Faiz Ahmed Kidwai at DGCA (X/Food_Odisha)
Kidwai, a 1996 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as additional secretary in the department of personnel and training (DoPT), according to an order by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
Yadav, an Odisha cadre IAS officer who replaces Kidwai at DGCA, is his batchmate and is currently serving as additional secretary in the ministry of environment, forest and climate change.
“Shri Vir Vikram Yadav, IAS (OR:96), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change as Director General, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Civil Aviation in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India by keeping the Recruitment Rules of the post in abeyance vice Shri Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, IAS (MP:96) upon his appointment as Additional Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training. Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions,” the order read.
Tuesday’s appointments were part of a wider bureaucratic reshuffle approved by ACC. The order also included appointments at the joint and additional secretary level across ministries, including postings in civil aviation, finance, commerce and agriculture.
India’s aviation safety regulator, DGCA, has seen increased scrutiny in recent months amid a series of operational disruptions and safety concerns in the sector, the latest being IndiGo’s operational disruptions in December.