In a first, for the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, a woman has been appointed as the Director-General. Usha Padhee announced her new appointment on Friday via social media.
IAS officer Usha Padhee will be replacing Rakesh Asthana who was serving as the Director-General of the BCAS before he was appointed as the DG of the Border Security Force.
Usha Padhee takes over as Director-General of BCAS
On Friday, IAS officer Usha Padhee made history as she announced that she has assumed the office of Director-General of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security. She wrote on Twitter, "At last, a Smt. in the incumbency list of Director General, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security!"
The 1996 Odisha-cadre officer will be replacing IPS officer Rakesh Asthana who served as DG between January 2019 and August 2020. Rakesh Asthana was posted as the DG of the Border Security Force on 18th August 2018.
Before, assuming the post as DG of BCAS, Padhee served as the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
As the Director-General Padhee will be overseeing the BCAS that performs functions such as— laying down the Aviation Security Standards in accordance with Annex 17 to Chicago Convention of ICAO for airport operators, airlines operators, and their security agencies. Further, the BCAS monitors the implementation of security rules and regulations and carrying out a survey of security needs. Moreover, it manages the planning and coordination of aviation security matters.
Padhee is an alumnus of Gulbarga University, Karnataka where she studied Civil Engineering.
