Dr. Neeraj Kharwal, IAS, Managing Director of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), has been entrusted with the additional charge of Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of India International Convention & Exhibition Centre Ltd. (IICCL), which operates the Government of India’s flagship Yashobhoomi project in Dwarka, New Delhi.
According to the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) order dated September 11, 2026, Dr. Kharwal takes over the additional responsibility from Shri Rajat Kumar Saini, IAS, who was holding the IICCL responsibility in addition to his role as MD & CEO of NICDC.
A significant development for India’s exhibition industry
The appointment brings the leadership of ITPO and IICCL under Dr. Kharwal, creating an important institutional link between India’s trade-promotion activities and one of the country’s largest exhibition and convention infrastructure projects.
Dr. Kharwal is already closely associated with the exhibition and business-events ecosystem through his role at ITPO.
Yashobhoomi: a national-scale MICE infrastructure project
Yashobhoomi, officially the India International Convention & Expo Centre (IICC), is a flagship Government of India project under DPIIT. The official IICCL website describes the completed development as including a convention centre with capacity for 11,000+ delegates, five exhibition halls, a 20,000+ capacity multipurpose arena, hotels, offices, retail and extensive parking infrastructure.
Dr. Kharwal’s dual responsibility
Dr. Kharwal’s additional responsibility comes at an important stage for Yashobhoomi.
The additional charge, however, is understood to be an interim arrangement, with the DoPT order providing for the arrangement until a regular appointment is made or further orders are issued.
What the industry will be watching
For India’s exhibition and MICE sector, the immediate areas of interest will include the continued development and utilisation of Yashobhoomi, expansion of exhibition capacity, international business-event acquisition and greater integration between India’s trade-promotion and exhibition infrastructure.
With ITPO and IICCL now connected through the additional charge held by Dr. Neeraj Kharwal, IAS, the development is significant for an industry increasingly looking towards larger, professionally operated and internationally competitive venues.
TradeFairTimes will continue to track developments across Yashobhoomi, ITPO, IICCL and India’s exhibition infrastructure ecosystem.
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