Thiruvananthapuram,August 21:
Former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Dr S. Somanath has been appointed as a part-time, non-official director on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
His appointment is for a four-year term beginning August 20, the RBI said in an official statement. Somanath retired from ISRO in January 2025 after a distinguished career spanning several decades in India’s space programme.
An accomplished aerospace engineer, Somanath held several senior positions before taking over as ISRO Chairman. He played a key role in major Indian space missions and launch vehicle programmes, including the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission. Under his leadership, India became the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the Moon’s south polar region.
Following his retirement from ISRO, Somanath was appointed Chancellor of Chanakya University, located near Bengaluru. His inclusion on the RBI’s Central Board brings scientific, technological and institutional expertise to the country’s apex monetary authority.
The government has also reappointed industrialist Anand Mahindra as a non-official director on the RBI board for another four-year term.
Retired Indian Audit and Accounts Service officer Revathi Iyer and Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General of the Research and Information System for Developing Countries, have also been appointed to the board. Iyer had previously served as Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
The RBI Central Board is headed by Governor Sanjay Malhotra. Deputy Governors J. Swaminathan, Poonam Gupta, S.C. Murmu and Rohit Jain are also members.
Economic Affairs Secretary Anuradha Thakur and Financial Services Secretary Sanjay Lohiya represent the Union government on the board.
The Central Board oversees the RBI’s affairs and provides broad policy direction on monetary management, banking regulation, financial stability and currency administration. Its members include RBI officials, government nominees and directors drawn from fields such as industry, finance, economics and public administration.
