NEW DELHI: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved a one-year extension for Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan, allowing him to continue in the top bureaucratic post beyond his existing tenure.

Somanathan, a 1987-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, was appointed Cabinet Secretary in August 2024, succeeding Rajiv Gauba. His tenure was initially set for two years.

The extension will enable him to continue as the government's senior-most civil servant and coordinate key policy and administrative matters involving various ministries and departments.

Before becoming Cabinet Secretary, Somanathan served as Finance Secretary and Secretary of the Department of Expenditure. He has held several senior positions in the Union and Tamil Nadu governments and has extensive experience in public finance, economic policy and administration.

The extension comes at a time when the government is pursuing major economic, administrative and policy reforms, with the Cabinet Secretary playing a crucial role in inter-ministerial coordination and implementation of key government priorities.