Part-time members of the National Dental Commission and its three autonomous boards picked by draw of lots

3 November 2026

The Union Health Secretary, Punya Salila Srivastava, took part in a draw of lots to select part-time members of the National Dental Commission and of its three autonomous boards. The selection was made under the National Dental Commission Act, 2023 and the rules framed under it. Ten part-time members represent State and Union Territory governments, among them Kerala, Sikkim, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir, and nine represent State Dental Councils. All of them hold office for a term of two years. Each of the three autonomous boards also received a second part-time member drawn from the nine dental council representatives, as Section 17(5) of the Act requires. The three boards are the Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate Dental Education Board, the Dental Assessment and Rating Board, and the Ethics and Dental Registration Board. Dr Kannan Vadakkepurayil was drawn as the member representing Kerala.