Shekhawat congratulates Phalodi's Rajendra Singh Bhati on SAFA VP post
Synopsis
Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat congratulated CMA Rajendra Singh Bhati from Bappi village, Phalodi, on being appointed Vice President of the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) Board, calling it an honour to his competence and experience.
Key Takeaways
Rajendra Singh Bhati , a CMA from Bappi village, Phalodi district, Rajasthan , has been appointed Vice President of the SAFA Board .
SAFA is the regional apex body for professional accountancy across SAARC nations , affiliated with international accounting bodies.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat publicly congratulated Bhati on 13 October 2026 via X.
Phalodi district falls within the Jodhpur parliamentary constituency that Shekhawat represents in the Lok Sabha.
The minister described the appointment as 'an honour to Bhati's competence and experience.'
A professional from a small village in western Rajasthan has landed a seat at the regional apex table of South Asian accountancy. Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, publicly congratulated Rajendra Singh Bhati, a CMA from Bappi village in Phalodi district, on his appointment as Vice President of the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) Board.
Posting in Hindi on X, Minister Shekhawat wrote: 'अशेष बधाई' ('heartiest congratulations'), describing the appointment as 'an honour to his competence and experience' and adding, 'We are all happy and proud of him. He will certainly prove successful.'
Who is Rajendra Singh Bhati — and what is SAFA?
SAFA is the regional apex body of professional accountancy organisations from SAARC member nations — including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and others — and is affiliated with international accounting bodies. The federation coordinates accounting standards, professional development, and cross-border collaboration across South Asia. Its board draws representatives from member institutes across the region, with Vice Presidencies rotating among those institutes.
Bhati, a Cost and Management Accountant (CMA) by qualification, hails from the small settlement of Bappi in Phalodi, a district in arid western Rajasthan that falls within the broader Jodhpur parliamentary constituency — the seat Shekhawat himself holds in the Lok Sabha.
A constituency connection Shekhawat is quick to spotlight
The minister's congratulatory post follows a well-established pattern among senior elected representatives: publicly amplifying achievements of constituents who reach regional or international professional platforms. For Shekhawat, whose Jodhpur constituency stretches across a vast swathe of Rajasthan including Phalodi, the acknowledgement doubles as a signal of personal investment in the district's professional talent.
For the accountancy community, a CMA from a rural Rajasthan village ascending to the Vice Presidency of a SAARC-level professional body is no small milestone — it points to the deepening reach of India's cost and management accounting profession beyond the metro centres where such appointments have historically clustered.
Bhati's tenure on the SAFA Board will bring him into dialogue with accounting regulators and policymakers from across South Asia. The kicker, as Shekhawat himself put it: 'निश्चित ही वे सफल सिद्ध होंगे' — he will certainly prove successful.
Point of View
A rural Rajasthan CMA reaching a SAARC-level leadership role signals the geographic diversification of India's cost-and-management accounting talent pool. The SAFA appointment also carries quiet diplomatic weight: the federation's rotating leadership reflects negotiated prestige across South Asian member states, making an Indian member's elevation to Vice President a point of professional soft power.
NationPress
13 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Rajendra Singh Bhati?
Rajendra Singh Bhati is a Cost and Management Accountant (CMA) from Bappi village in Phalodi district , western Rajasthan, who has been appointed Vice President of the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) Board.
What is SAFA — the South Asian Federation of Accountants?
SAFA is the regional apex body for professional accountancy organisations from SAARC member countries , including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It coordinates accounting standards and professional development across South Asia.
Why did Gajendra Singh Shekhawat congratulate Rajendra Singh Bhati?
Minister Shekhawat represents the Jodhpur Lok Sabha constituency , which includes Phalodi district — Bhati's home. The minister publicly congratulated him on achieving a regional professional leadership position within SAFA.
What does the SAFA Vice President do?
The SAFA Board Vice President participates in governance, policy coordination, and professional development initiatives across member accountancy bodies from SAARC nations. Board positions typically rotate among institutes from member countries.
Where is Bappi village in Rajasthan?
Bappi village is located in Phalodi district , an arid western Rajasthan district that falls within the broader Jodhpur parliamentary constituency .
