Born: 25 September 1970, Uttar Pradesh
Service: Indian Administrative Service (IAS), 1993 batch, AGMUT cadre
Education: B.Sc. & M.Sc. in Physics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University; Master’s in Public Management from the University of Maryland (USA)
Current Position: Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare (since September 2024)
🎓 Professional Background
Ms. Srivastava has worked across key administrative domains spanning over 30 years. She has held roles including Deputy Commissioner, Director, and Commissioner in state and Union Territories, and served in multiple important positions at the federal level: Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Additional Secretary and Special Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, prior to her current assignment as Secretary of Health & Family Welfare .
📌 Role as Health Secretary
Appointed initially as Officer-on-Special Duty in MoHFW, she assumed the role of Secretary following the retirement of the previous incumbent in September 2024. She now leads policy, regulatory frameworks, and programme implementation across domains including public health, vaccination campaigns, Ayushman Bharat, digital health infrastructure, and more .
🌐 International Representation & Policy Highlights
- Represented India at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva (May 2025), reaffirming India’s commitment to universal health coverage, healthcare equity, and global pandemic preparedness frameworks. She highlighted expansions under Ayushman Bharat, disease elimination efforts, and health infrastructure scaling including medical college strength doubling in a decade .
- Addressed the SCO Health Ministerial Meeting in Xi’an (April 2025), emphasising India’s strength in digital health systems and integration of traditional and modern medicine in global health cooperation efforts .
🎯 Institutional Oversight
- As Secretary, she participates in regulatory and advisory structures across public health institutions. She also serves as non‑executive Chairperson of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), providing oversight over food regulation, safety standards, and monitoring systems .
📝 Summary
Ms. Punya Salila Srivastava is a visionary administrator and crisis-ready leader in health governance. Drawing from her diverse experience in administration and the PMO, she leads India’s health policy machinery with a focus on universal coverage, digital delivery, and global partnerships.