ACC Extends Foreign Deputation of IA&AS Officer Dhuppe Shivraj at IORA Secretariat, Mauritius

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension of the foreign deputation of Dhuppe Shivraj Umakantrao, a Director from the Indian Audit and Accounts Service posted at the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Secretariat in Port Louis, Mauritius, for a period of one year from April 22, 2027 to April 21, 2028. He is a 2010-batch IA&AS officer.

The Indian Ocean Rim Association is a multilateral platform of 23 member states and 11 dialogue partners that promotes regional cooperation across trade, investment, maritime safety, fisheries, disaster risk management, and people-to-people connectivity in the Indian Ocean region. IORA's secretariat, based in Port Louis, Mauritius, is a small international body through which India — as a founding member — maintains institutional presence. The Indian government posts officers from central services to the secretariat on a deputation basis, providing institutional knowledge and continuity to India's engagement with the organisation.

Umakantrao is a member of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service, the organised central service that handles the audit of central government accounts, union territories, and a range of public sector enterprises. IA&AS officers at the Director level, typically with 14-16 years of service by the 2010-batch stage, hold positions in Audit Offices, the Comptroller and Auditor General's office, and on central deputation. A posting to an international body like IORA represents a departure from the audit track and signals the government's use of IA&AS officers in multilateral engagement contexts where financial management, accountability frameworks, and institutional reporting are core functions.

His original deputation to the IORA Secretariat would have commenced in April 2024 or thereabouts, given that his extended tenure runs to April 2028. The one-year extension carries his total posting to approximately four years at Port Louis — a relatively long tenure for an international deputation, typically calibrated to provide continuity in an organisation where staff rotations can disrupt programme implementation.

India's interest in IORA has grown with the expansion of its Indian Ocean maritime strategy and the Blue Economy framework. The secretariat's work programmes on fisheries governance, disaster risk reduction, and maritime security have direct implications for India's bilateral relationships with IORA members — including Australia, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Oman, and Mozambique. An Indian official at the Director level in the secretariat carries both representational and operational functions — managing working groups, coordinating with member state representatives, and supporting the Chair-in-Office, which rotates among members.

The ACC's extension approval, processed through the Ministry of External Affairs and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, reflects the institutional assessment that continuity in Umakantrao's role at the IORA Secretariat serves India's multilateral interests in the Indian Ocean region during the relevant tenure period.

The extended deputation runs from April 22, 2027 to April 21, 2028, as per the ACC order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training.