Satyendra Prakash replaces Jaideep Bhatnagar as Principal DG, Press Information Bureau

New Delhi: Senior Indian Information Service officer Satyendra Prakash has been appointed as the Principal Director General of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), an official order said.

Prakash will take charge on Monday.

A 1988 batch Indian Information Service (IIS) officer, Prakash, the Principal Director General of the Central Bureau of Communication, will succeed Jaideep Bhatnagar, who superannuated on Sunday.

Known for his innovative work style, Prakash was honoured by the Election Commission for his outreach campaigns to increase voters participation in elections after the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a career spanning over three decades, Prakash has served in various capacities in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, including as Additional Director General, News & Current Affairs in Doordarshan, and Director (Media), Ministry of Communications & IT and Ministry of Civil Aviation in the Press Information Bureau.

Bhatnagar, a 1986-batch IIS officer, earlier served in Doordarshan News as head of the Commercial, Sales and Marketing Division.

He has also served as Prasar Bharati Special Correspondent West Asia covering 20 countries and later went on to head the News Services Division of AIR.

Manish Desai, Director General of West zone of the PIB, will succeed Prakash in the Central Bureau of Communication.

A 1989 batch IIS officer, Desai has worked in various media units of the Ministry of I&B, like DAVP, AIR News, Prasar Bharati, and the Indian Institute of Mass Communication.