Preeti Sudan, former union health secretary, appointed as UPSC chairperson

Former union health secretary Preeti Sudan has been appointed as the chairperson of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Preeti Sudan, who is a member of the UPSC, will take charge of the position on Thursday, August 1.

Preeti Sudan will replace Manoj Soni, who resigned earlier this month due to “personal reasons” ahead of the end of his tenure.

Also read: Congress' ‘nudged out’ reaction to UPSC chairman Manoj Soni's resignation

Who is Preeti Sudan?

1. Preeti Sudan is an IAS officer from the Andhra Pradesh cadre, 1983 batch. She has nearly 37 years of experience in almost all spheres of government administration.
2. She has degrees in Economics and Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics and was trained in public finance management in Washington.
3. Sudan worked as the union health secretary for three years till July 2020. During her stint, Sudan has been the key strategist in times of the Covid-19 pandemic.
4. Prior to this, Sudan was the secretary of department of food and Public distribution. She has also served as women and child development and defence ministry and has handled finance and planning, disaster management, tourism, and agriculture. Previously, she was a consultant with the World Bank. Sudan has served as the Chair of COP-8 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Vice Chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Chair of Global Digital Health Partnership and a member of WHO’s Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.
5. She has made several notable contributions to various national-level programs such as the initiation of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Ayushman Bharat, ban on E-cigarattes, and legislation on national medical commission, among others.