Rahul Somvanshi
The Reserve Bank of India’s Central Board has admitted Shri Somanath Sreedhara Panicker as part-time, Non-official Director for four years, with effect from August 20, 2026. The appointment was made by the Central Government via RBI Press Release 2026-2027/934.
Somanath retired from the Indian Space Research Organisation in January 2025, having served as Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space. His tenure included the Chandrayaan-3 Moon soft-landing in 2023 and oversight of the LVM3 launch vehicle programme. He currently serves as Chancellor of Chanakya University in Bengaluru.
Business leader Anand Mahindra has been reappointed to the board for another four-year term as part-time, Non-official Director. Other non-official members include Revathy Iyer, retired from the Indian Audit and Accounts Service and former Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General; and Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General of the Research and Information System for Developing Countries.
Ex-officio members of the Central Board are Governor Sanjay Malhotra, Deputy Governors Swaminathan J, Poonam Gupta, S.C. Murmu, and Rohit Jain, Secretary (Economic Affairs) Anuradha Thakur, and Secretary (Financial Services) Sanjay Lohia.
The appointment term extends from August 20, 2026, or until further orders, whichever occurs first.
