Usha Padhee becomes first woman DG of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security

Usha Padhee, who is the joint secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, became the first woman to become the Director-General of Bureau of Civil Aviation Society. She took to Twitter to share the news, saying, “At last, a Smt. in the incumbency list of Director General, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security!”.

She has also become the third IAS officer to have been appointed to this post. She hails from Odisha. Notably, her husband, Arvind Padhee, is also a senior IAS officer, and the Joint Secretary at Chemicals & Fertilisers Ministry. She has also been handling the government flagship scheme for regional connectivity – UDAN. Padhee, a 1996-batch IAS officer, was sent on central deputation on July 17, 2015. Her Central Deputation tenure is scheduled to end on July 16, 2022. In May this year, Padhee’s central deputation was extended by two years.

IPS officers are usually chosen as the head of the aviation security panel. Her position was preceded by IPS officer Rakesh Asthana, who is now posted as the Director-General in the Border Security Force.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security is the regulator for Civil Aviation in India. It was created as a cell in the DGCA in 1987 and has developed as an organisation that works to implement International Security standards.