Jha to be new DG of Fire Services, Civil Defence & Home Guards

Senior IPS officer Sunil Kumar Jha, currently serving as Special Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), has been appointed as Director General, Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards. He is a 1993 batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre.

According to an official order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on June 14, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment for a tenure extending up to his superannuation on January 31, 2027, or until further orders, whichever comes earlier.

Jha will assume charge on July 1, succeeding incumbent DG Vivek Srivastava, a 1989-batch IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre, who retires on June 30.

With decades of experience in Central Armed Police Forces, Jha’s elevation signals continued emphasis on strengthening national fire safety, disaster response and civil defence preparedness.

Srivastava’s tenure saw a long-overdue increase in the daily allowances of Home Guard personnel, as well as the conduct of mock drills across the country following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Drills of such magnitude were last held during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.