Archana Varma takes charge as Secretary, Department of Water Resources, RD & GR, Ministry of Jal Shakti

Archana Varma assumed charge as Secretary, Department of Water Resources, RD & GR, Ministry of Jal Shakti, on 12 August 2026. She is a 1995-batch IAS officer of the Assam cadre. Upon assuming charge, she was welcomed by Joint Secretary (Admn.), Karan Singh, and other officials of the Department.

Prior to this, Archana Varma served in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Department of Personnel and Training, and held several senior positions in the Government of India. She also served as Additional Secretary in the Central Vigilance Commission, where she handled matters relating to the Commission’s policies and vigilance issues concerning the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, among others.

In September, 2022, she joined Ministry of Jal Shakti as Mission Director, National Water Mission (NWM) and worked on taking the NWM beyond JSA – CTR.

She began her career as the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Hamren, in the Sixth Schedule tribal District of Karbi Anglong in Assam, now the West Karbi Anglong District and has held several important positions in the State Government.

Archana Varma is a graduate in History from Lady Shri Ram College and a postgraduate from Jawaharlal Nehru University.