Alka Nangia Arora Takes Charge as Controller General of Defence Accounts

Alka Nangia Arora began her career in the Ministry of Defence at the Dum Dum Ordnance Factory in Kolkata and has since served in several key positions within the Defence Accounts Department.

Smt Alka Nangia Arora, a 1991-batch officer of the Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS), assumed charge as the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) on 1 August 2026. With more than three decades of experience in defence financial management and public administration, she takes over the organisation's top position after serving in several senior leadership roles across the Government of India and the Ministry of Defence.

Her appointment brings to the forefront an officer with extensive experience in defence finance, public policy, procurement and institutional administration, gained through assignments spanning the armed forces as well as multiple civilian ministries.

A Career Across Defence and Civil Administration

An alumnus of Garhwal University, Dehradun, and IIT Roorkee, Alka Nangia Arora has held several important positions during her career. She previously served as Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser in the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) under the Ministry of Agriculture. She has also worked as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Managing Director of the Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India Limited, and Additional Development Commissioner for Handicrafts in the Ministry of Textiles.

Her work has covered areas such as promotion of handicrafts, agricultural research, procurement policy and public finance. She has further strengthened her professional expertise through advanced training programmes at premier institutions, including IIM Bangalore and ISB Mohali.

Extensive Experience with the Armed Forces

Alka Nangia Arora began her career in the Ministry of Defence at the Dum Dum Ordnance Factory in Kolkata and has since served in several key positions within the Defence Accounts Department.

During her career, she has worked with all three branches of the armed forces. Her assignments include serving as Financial Adviser to the Admiral Superintendent of the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, Financial Adviser to the Army's Eastern Command and head of the Area Accounts Office in Kolkata. She also served as Integrated Financial Adviser to the Western Air Command and Army Hospital (Research and Referral), besides holding the position of Principal Integrated Financial Adviser at Air Force Headquarters.

These assignments provided her with wide-ranging experience in managing defence financial systems while supporting operational and administrative requirements across the services.

Leadership at CGDA Headquarters

Before taking charge as Controller General of Defence Accounts, she served as Additional and Special CGDA at the CGDA Headquarters. In that role, she led policy initiatives related to audit, information technology and systems, Integrated Financial Adviser (IFA) functions and training within the Defence Accounts Department.

Her elevation to the top post comes at a time when the department continues to strengthen financial governance, improve digital systems and support the evolving requirements of India's defence establishment through efficient financial management and accountability.