New Delhi, August 1: Smt Alka Nangia Arora, a 1991-batch Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS) officer, on Friday assumed charge as the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA), taking over the leadership of the Defence Accounts Department responsible for financial management, auditing and payment systems of the Armed Forces.

With over three decades of experience in defence finance and public administration, she becomes one of the senior-most financial administrators overseeing the Ministry of Defence’s financial framework.

Extensive Administrative Experience

An alumnus of Garhwal University, Dehradun, and IIT Roorkee, Smt Arora has held several important positions in the Government of India.

Her previous assignments include:

  • Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture
  • Joint Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME)
  • Managing Director, Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India Limited
  • Additional Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles

She has also undergone advanced executive training at IIM Bangalore and ISB Mohali.

Long Association with the Ministry of Defence

Smt Arora began her career in the Ministry of Defence at the Dum Dum Ordnance Factory in Kolkata and has since served in several key appointments within the Defence Accounts Department (DAD).

During her career, she has worked closely with all three Services of the Armed Forces.

Her major defence assignments include:

  • Financial Adviser to the Admiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard, Mumbai
  • Financial Adviser to the Army’s Eastern Command
  • Head of the Area Accounts Office, Kolkata
  • Integrated Financial Adviser (IFA) to the Western Air Command (WAC)
  • IFA to the Army Hospital (Research & Referral)
  • Principal IFA to the Air Headquarters

Leadership at CGDA Headquarters

Before assuming the top post, she served as Additional & Special CGDA at the CGDA Headquarters, where she oversaw important policy areas including:

  • Defence Audit
  • Information Technology & Digital Systems
  • Integrated Financial Advisory (IFA)
  • Training and Capacity Building

Key Role in Defence Financial Management

As the Controller General of Defence Accounts, Smt Arora will head the Defence Accounts Department, which is responsible for:

  • Financial advice to the Ministry of Defence
  • Defence budgeting and expenditure management
  • Salary and pension disbursement
  • Internal audit and accounting
  • Procurement finance oversight
  • Financial support to the Army, Navy and Air Force

Her appointment comes at a time when the Ministry of Defence is focusing on greater financial efficiency, digital transformation and support for indigenous defence manufacturing under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

Officials said her extensive experience in defence finance, public policy and administrative reforms is expected to further strengthen financial governance and transparency within the Ministry of Defence.