Manisha Verma named Press Secretary to President Murmu, IIS cadre returns after 13 years

After a gap of more than a decade, the high-profile position of Press Secretary to the President of India has returned to the Indian Information Service (IIS) cadre. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and comprising the Union Home Minister, has approved the appointment of senior IIS officer Manisha Verma as the Press Secretary to President Droupadi Murmu.

A 1995-batch IIS officer, Verma, 55, succeeds Ajay Singh, a veteran journalist who served as Press Secretary to former President Ram Nath Kovind and was later retained under President Murmu. Singh’s extended tenure ended on September 26, paving the way for Verma’s appointment.

Verma brings with her nearly three decades of professional experience in government communications. She most recently served in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, where she was the ministry’s media officer for 12 years, playing a crucial role in handling communications during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This appointment also marks the return of IIS officers to Rashtrapati Bhavan after a long hiatus. The last IIS officer to serve in the President’s office was Archana Datta, who worked as Officer on Special Duty (Public Relations) under President Pratibha Patil from 2007 to 2012. However, Datta was not formally designated as Press Secretary. Before her, SM Khan, one of the longest-serving media officers of the CBI, had been handpicked by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam as his Press Secretary — the first time an IIS officer was appointed to that role.

Traditionally, the post of Press Secretary to the President was held by officers of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). In fact, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had served as Press Secretary and speechwriter to President Shankar Dayal Sharma in the 1990s.

President Kalam was the first to break this convention by inducting SM Khan from IIS. However, the trend reverted under President Pranab Mukherjee, who chose IFS officer Venu Rajamony as Press Secretary from 2012 to 2017. Mukherjee, however, also made history by appointing senior IIS officer Omita Paul as Secretary to the President — a top-ranking bureaucratic post, distinct from the Press Secretary role.

President Kovind once again shifted the tradition, appointing noted journalist Ashok Malik as Press Secretary — the first-ever private individual to occupy the position. He was succeeded by another non-service appointee, Ajay Singh.

With Manisha Verma taking charge, the post now returns to the IIS cadre after 13 years, restoring the presence of government information officers in Rashtrapati Bhavan’s communication apparatus.

Officials familiar with the functioning of the President’s House note that the Press Secretary’s role is crucial in managing communication between Rashtrapati Bhavan, the media, and the public. Verma’s appointment is being seen as both a recognition of the IIS cadre’s expertise in public communication and a reassertion of the government’s preference for career media professionals in top institutional roles.

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