Subhash Chandra Garg Shifted Out of Finance Ministry as part of Bureaucratic Reshuffle
The Wire Staff
Real journalism holds power accountable
Since 2015, The Wire has done just that.
But we can continue only with your support.
New Delhi: Finance secretary Subash Chandra Garg, who has been leading the government’s fight in trying to secure a greater portion of the RBI’s reserves, has been transferred to the power ministry as part of the Narendra Modi government’s first senior bureaucratic rejig.
In a notification put out on late Wednesday evening, the Centre shifted the positions of top bureaucrats across twelve major ministries, departments and agencies.
According to the government release, Atanu Chakraborty, who is currently secretary of department of investment and public asset management, will replace Garg as economic affairs secretary.
This decision has come as a surprise in New Delhi's power corridors as Garg was seen as being highly valued by the Modi government.
Garg will now be the power secretary and replaces Ajay Kumar Bhalla, who will become an officer on special duty (OSD) in the home ministry. Media reports indicate that this implies that Bhalla will take over from Rajiv Gauba as home secretary once Gauba retires on August 31.
Anshu Prakash, who is currently additional secretary in the department of telecommunications, will take over as secretary once Aruna Sundarajan retires on July 31. Before joining the DoT, Prakash was the chief secretary of Delhi and was in the news for being at loggerheads with the Arvind Kejriwal government.
List of Bureacratic Changes by The Wire on Scribd
Among other major changes, the Airports Authority of India chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra, will take over as secretary of department for promotion of industry and internal trade, in the commerce ministry upon the superannuation of incumbent Ramesh Abhishek on July 31.
Garg’s departure from North Block will also lead to a new finance secretary being named soon. As per protocol, the senior most of the five secretaries in the finance ministry – Economic Affairs, Revenue, Expenditure, Financial Services and DIPAM – is designated as the Finance Secretary.
Right now, revenue secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey and financial services secretary are the senior most, from the 1984 batch. An official said that Kumar will likely be designated the next finance secretary, though a final decision is yet to be taken.
Expenditure secretary Girish Chandra Murmu is from the 1985 batch (and could retire in November), Chakraborty is from the 1985 batch, while the incoming DIPAM secretary, Anil Kumar Khachi is from the 1986 batch.
This article went live on July twenty-fourth, two thousand nineteen, at seven minutes past ten at night.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.