Bureaucratic rejig at Centre: New secys appointed

Senior Indian Administrative Service officer T V Somanathan was on Friday appointed Expenditure Secretary, the post lying vacant since late October, as part of a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre.

Somanathan, a 1987-batch IAS officer, is at present serving in his cadre state Tamil Nadu. He has been appointed as the expenditure secretary, a personnel ministry order said.

The post was lying vacant since October 29, when Girish Chandra Murmu relinquished it upon being named as the first Lieutenant Governor of the newly-created Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The additional charge of the Department of Expenditure was given to Atanu Chakraborty, a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, Secretary Economic Affairs in the Finance Ministry.

The appointment of new expenditure secretary comes a month-and-a-half ahead of the Budget for 2020-21 to be presented on February 1, by the Modi government.

The finance ministry had kick-started the exercise to prepare the budget for the next fiscal from October 14 with pre-budget/RE (Revised Estimate) meetings.

The series of meetings with different departments and ministries concluded last month.

The Budget Estimates for 2020-21 are provisionally finalised after the Expenditure Secretary completes discussions with other secretaries and financial advisers.

In another appointments, Ravi Mittal has been named Information and Broadcasting Secretary in place of Amit Khare.

Mittal, a 1986-batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, is at present Special Secretary, the Department of Financial Services.

Khare will now serve as Secretary, the Department of Higher Education, in place of R Subrahmanyam, who has been appointed as Secretary, the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment.

Senior bureaucrat Sushil Kumar will be Secretary Mines. He is Additional Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, and Secretary, Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the rank and pay of Secretary to Sanjay Kumar Mishra, Director, Enforcement Directorate. He is a 1984-batch officer of Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax), the Personnel Ministry said.

Culture Secretary Arun Goel has been transferred and appointed as Secretary, Department of Heavy Industry in place of Asha Ram Sihag, who superannuates on December 31.

Kshatrapati Shivaji, Executive Director, Asian Development Bank is now Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances. The officer will also hold additional charge of the post of Secretary, Department of Pensions and Pensioners Welfare.

Shivaji is a 1986-batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre.

Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary (Coordination), Cabinet Secretariat, will now be Secretary, Department of Rural Development in place of Amarjeet Sinha, who retires this month-end.

V P Joy, Director General of Hydrocarbons, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has been appointed as Secretary (Coordination), Cabinet Secretariat in place of Bhushan.

Subhas Chandra Lal Das will be DG Hydrocarbons in place of Joy. Das is Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs.

Sunil Kumar has been appointed as Secretary, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. He is Special Secretary, the Department of Commerce.

Barun Mitra will be Officer on Special Duty, the Department of Justice. Mitra, a 1987-batch IAS officer of Manipur cadre, is at present Special Secretary, the Department of Defence Production.

Senior bureaucrat Praveen Kumar has been appointed as Secretary, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in place of K P Krishnan, who superannuates on December 31.

Kumar is Special Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

IAS officer Niten Chandra has been appointed as the Secretary, Central Information Commission. A 1990 batch IAS officer, Chandra is at present serving in his cadre state Odisha.

Chandan Sinha has been named as the Director General, National Archives of India, Ministry of Culture in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary. Sinha, a 1989-batch IAS officer, is working in his cadre state West Bengal.

Rajlt Punhani, a 1991-batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, will be Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Home Affairs in place of Bhupendra Singh, who superannuates on December 31.

Punhani is Chief Vigilance Officer, National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd., Ministry of Power.