Preeti Sudan (30 April 1960) is the current Chairperson of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), a central body tasked with recruiting India’s civil servants, appointed by the President of India in August 2024. Sudan joined the UPSC as a member in November 2022. Previously, she held the office of the Health Secretary of India from October 2017 to July 2020.[1] Sudan has also served as a member of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (IPPR), an independent group overseeing the World Health Organisation (WHO) from 2020 till 2022.
Sudan earned a degree in Economics and Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She has been trained in public finance management in Washington.[2]
Career
editA 1983 batch IAS officer of the Andhra cadre, Sudan was previously a Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution.[3][4] Apart from this, she has served at various central and state level positions such as a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defense as well as in position relating to disaster management[5] and tourism.[6][7] She has been a key functionary in the planning and implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, a scheme of the Indian government's National Health Policy aiming to provide free health coverage at the secondary and tertiary level to India's bottom 40% poor and vulnerable population. She has also served as consultant in the World Bank.[8]
Since 2020, Sudan has been serving as a member of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (IPPR), an independent group examining how the World Health Organization (WHO) and countries handled the COVID-19 pandemic, co-chaired by Helen Clark and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and served till 28 November 2022.[9] Thereafter, she served as a member of Union Public Service Commission from 29 November 2022 onwards. Afterwards, on 1 August 2024 she was appointed Chairman of Union Public Service Commission and will serve there till 29 April 2025.
Other activities
edit- Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH), Member of the Board[10]
References
edit- ^ "Preeti Sudan is new health secretary, MoH&FW". Express Pharma (The Indian Express). 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
- ^ "Who is Preeti Sudan, new UPSC chief after Manoj Soni responsible for selecting new civil servants". The Economic Times. 2024-07-31. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
- ^ Bureau, BW Online. "BW Most Influential Woman Of India: Preeti Sudan, Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare". BW Businessworld. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Ms. Preeti Sudan assumes charge as Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
- ^ Storm kills 45, floods villages in India Reuters, June 23, 2007.
- ^ "PMNCH | Preeti Sudan, PMNCH Acting Chair". WHO. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
- ^ "Preeti Sudan is Secretary, Dept of Food and Public Distribution". The Hindu Business Line. 2 January 2017. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
- ^ "Preeti Sudan | PMNCH | Government of India". WHO. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
- ^ Stephanie Nebehay and Kate Kelland (September 3, 2020), Pandemic review panel named, includes Miliband, ex Mexican president Reuters.
- ^ Board Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH).