Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Nidhi Tewari has been appointed as the private secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved her appointment, which was officially released by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) on March 29, 2025.
Who is Nidhi Tewari?
Nidhi Tewari, a 2014-batch IFS officer currently deputy secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), has been made private secretary to the minister at level 12 of the pay matrix and will be coterminous with her current position or until further orders.
Career Journey and Background
Tewari originally hails from Mehmurganj in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi, which has been PM Modi’s parliamentary constituency since 2014. Before clearing the UPSC Civil Services Examination, she worked as an assistant commissioner (commercial tax) in Varanasi while preparing for the exam.
She was appointed to the PMO in 2022 as an undersecretary and was promoted to deputy secretary on January 6, 2023. She was in the 'Foreign and Security' division in the PMO, which falls under National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. She has also been a part of the Disarmament and International Security Affairs Division in the Ministry of External Affairs.
Details of appointment
The official order signed by the Ministry of Personnel states: "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Ms. Nidhi Tewari, IFS (2014), who is currently serving as Deputy Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, in Level 12 of the pay matrix from the date of joining, on a co-terminus basis or until further orders, whichever is earlier."
Why is this appointment noteworthy?
Tewari, in her role as prime ministerial private secretary, will be crucial in dealing with official correspondence, administrative work, and assisting in policy coordination. Her foreign affairs and security background is most probably going to come in handy in the new role.
The appointment is testimony to the growing number of young and dynamic officers holding key administrative positions within the government.