Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha's tenure gets fifth extension till June 28 next year

New Delhi: The Centre has extended the tenure of Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha by one more year till June 28, 2027. This is his fifth extension for Kotecha on the post.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension in the tenure of Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, for a further period of one year beyond June 28, 2026, up to June 28, 2027, read a Personnel Ministry order.

Kotecha, who was a chief consultant at the Chakrapani Ayurveda Clinic in Jaipur, is a lateral entrant to the service. He was first appointed as a Special Secretary in the Ayush Ministry in June 2017. Later, he was appointed as the Secretary.


Read More: Budget 2026: Allocation to AYUSH Ministry sees 20% rise

He was given two-year extensions twice, first in 2020 and then in 2022. His term was extended by one year each in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Kotecha's existing tenure was to end on June 28.

The Ayush Ministry was formed on November 9, 2014, to revive the ancient systems of medicine with focused attention towards education and research in Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.

Earlier, the Department of Indian System of Medicine and Homoeopathy (ISM&H), formed in 1995, was responsible for the development of these systems.