Last Updated: July 2026
The Central Government has revised the appointment of senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Prashant Sitaram Lokhande, assigning him the additional charge of Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) while he continues to serve as Additional Secretary in the Department of Home under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The revised arrangement has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) through the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
The interim arrangement comes at a time when CBSE is overseeing examination-related activities, academic planning, school affiliations, and policy implementation for the ongoing academic session. According to the DoPT order issued on 2 July 2026, Lokhande will continue to hold the additional charge until a regular Chairperson is appointed or until further government orders are issued.
Appointment Overview
Prashant Lokhande is a 2001-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories) cadre. Under the revised order, he will continue in his primary role as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs while also serving as CBSE Chairperson in an interim capacity.
Lokhande had earlier been appointed as the full-time Chairperson of CBSE. The revised government order changes the arrangement by making the CBSE position an additional responsibility alongside his existing role in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Appointment Timeline
|
Status |
Date |
Development |
|
Historical |
1 April 2026 |
Lokhande assumed charge as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs. |
|
Historical |
2 June 2026 |
Appointed as full-time Chairperson of CBSE in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary. |
|
Confirmed |
2 July 2026 |
DoPT issued a revised order assigning him additional charge of CBSE while retaining his primary posting in MHA. |
|
Current |
July 2026 |
Lokhande continues as Additional Secretary, MHA, and holds additional charge as CBSE Chairperson until further orders or the appointment of a regular incumbent. |
Educational Background
Before joining the civil services, Lokhande pursued engineering and industrial management.
|
Qualification |
Institution |
|
Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering |
Pune University |
|
Postgraduate Diploma in Industrial Engineering |
National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai |
His academic qualifications are complemented by more than two decades of experience in public administration.
Administrative Experience
A member of the 2001 AGMUT IAS batch, Lokhande has held several administrative assignments during his career.
He assumed office as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs on 1 April 2026. With the revised appointment, he will continue discharging his responsibilities in the Ministry while overseeing the functioning of CBSE until the government appoints a regular Chairperson.
Responsibilities as Interim CBSE Chairperson
As Chairperson holding additional charge, Lokhande will supervise the board’s routine academic and administrative functions.
His responsibilities include oversight of policy implementation, curriculum-related decisions, examination guidelines, school affiliations, and administrative coordination. He will also oversee affiliation-related work involving more than 30,000 CBSE-affiliated schools in India and abroad. This figure is based on the latest publicly available CBSE records and official board information available as of July 2026.
Key Responsibilities
|
Area |
Responsibility |
|
Academic Administration |
Supervise policy implementation and curriculum-related decisions |
|
Examinations |
Oversee examination guidelines and result-related processes |
|
School Affiliations |
Manage affiliation-related administration for over 30,000 schools |
|
Institutional Coordination |
Coordinate with schools, education departments and government agencies |
|
Academic Planning |
Support planning for upcoming academic activities |
Leadership Changes at CBSE
Lokhande’s appointment is part of a wider administrative reshuffle within CBSE.
The Centre has also appointed Varun Bhardwaj, a 2008-batch Indian Information Service (IIS) officer, as the new Secretary of CBSE. He succeeds Himanshu Gupta, who has been repatriated to his parent cadre in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
These changes come after recent developments relating to the CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. Separately, the Central Government has ordered an inquiry into matters concerning the digital evaluation process. The interim leadership arrangement is intended to ensure continuity in the board’s functioning while the inquiry proceeds.
Why the Appointment Matters
CBSE is one of India’s largest school education boards and is responsible for conducting board examinations, framing academic policies, developing curriculum frameworks, and managing affiliations for schools across India and abroad.
Leadership transitions within the board are significant because they coincide with examination management, curriculum implementation, academic planning, and coordination with affiliated institutions. The present arrangement is intended to maintain administrative continuity while the process of appointing a regular Chairperson is completed.
Appointment Summary
|
Particular |
Details |
|
Officer |
Prashant Sitaram Lokhande |
|
Service |
Indian Administrative Service (IAS) |
|
Batch |
2001 |
|
Cadre |
AGMUT |
|
Current Post |
Additional Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs |
|
Additional Charge |
Chairperson, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) |
|
Appointment Authority |
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) |
|
Order Issued Through |
Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) |
|
Nature of Appointment |
Additional Charge (Interim) |
|
Tenure |
Until appointment of a regular Chairperson or further orders |
Official Sources
This article is based on official government documents and publicly available records, including:
- Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Office Order dated 2 July 2026 (Appointments Committee of the Cabinet)
- Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Office Order dated 2 June 2026 relating to the earlier appointment
- Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) official records
- Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) official notifications, press releases, and publicly available records (retrieved July 2026)
Safety Advisory
Readers should rely only on official notifications issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for appointment-related updates. Be cautious of unverified social media posts, unofficial websites, or messages claiming to provide government orders. Government departments do not request payments, OTPs, passwords, or banking information to access official notifications. Where available, verify the notification date and reference number before relying on shared documents.
Editorial Disclaimer
This article is based on official information available as of July 2026. Government orders, administrative arrangements, and related notifications may be revised by the competent authorities. Readers are advised to verify the latest updates through official notifications issued by the DoPT, MHA, and CBSE. In the event of any subsequent changes, official government notifications and circulars shall prevail over the information presented in this article.