Santosh Tewari, a 1993-batch Indian Forest Service officer from the Bihar cadre, has been appointed as India's Director General of Forests, the senior-most position in the country's forest administration. The Director General of Forests heads the Forest Survey of India and advises the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on all forestry matters. Tewari's appointment places him at the apex of India's forest bureaucracy, overseeing policy implementation across the country's protected areas and forest divisions.

The Director General of Forests (DGF) is the highest-ranking Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer in the central government. The post sits within the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and carries responsibility for national forest policy, wildlife protection coordination, and oversight of bodies like the Forest Survey of India (FSI), which publishes the biennial India State of Forest Report (ISFR).

The IFS is one of India's three All India Services — alongside the IAS and IPS — created under Article 312 of the Constitution. Officers are recruited through the UPSC Civil Services Examination and allotted state cadres, but the central deputation system allows senior officers to serve in apex roles at the Union level. Tewari's Bihar cadre and 1993 batch placement are exam-testable facts because examiners routinely ask about cadre, batch year, and the institutional role of the appointee.

The DGF is distinct from the Inspector General of Forests, who is a subordinate post. Examinees often confuse the Forest Survey of India (under MoEFCC) with the Botanical Survey of India (under MoEFCC) or the Zoological Survey of India — all are under the same ministry but have separate mandates. The DGF's advisory role to the Ministry on the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and related legislation is also a tested static concept.