The Hindu : 'New look' to Finance Ministry planned

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 10, 2002

National

National

'New look' to Finance Ministry planned

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI JULY 9. The new Finance Minister, Jaswant Singh, has initiated the process of creating his own team with S. Narayan becoming the new Finance Secretary, the Ministry will once again have a designated Finance Secretary. In the previous dispensation, none of the top officials in the Ministry was given this designation which is normally given to the seniormost official.

Conventionally, it is given to the Secretary heading the Department of Economic Affairs, but there have been exceptions in the past when K. P. Geethakrishnan and later P. G. Mankad were designated Finance Secretaries with the charge of the Revenue Department.

However, C. M. Vasudev, currently heading the Department of Economic Affairs, was not designated Finance Secretary.

A Tamil Nadu cadre IAS officer of the 1965 batch, Dr. Narayan is now Revenue Secretary.

He will take charge of the Department of Economic Affairs from Mr. Vasudev, who will join the World Bank as Executive Director in August this year.

Ajay Vikram Singh, an Uttaranchal cadre official of the 1967 batch who is currently Secretary, Defence Procurement, will take charge as the Revenue Secretary.

The Expenditure Secretary, C. S. Rao, will continue in his present post.

Also, D. G. Gupta, Special Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training, will be the new Secretary, Banking and Insurance, with the post upgraded to the level of Secretary.

Jaswant Singh has also brought about a reshuffle at the level of Ministers of State. Gingee Ramachandran, now in charge of Revenue Department, will look after Banking and Insurance while Anant Geete, the Shiv Sena replacement for Balasaheb Vikhe Patil--who is now the Minister for Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises--will look after the Revenue Department.

Other changes are also expected to be made shortly to give a "new look" to the Finance Ministry.

However, with Dr. Narayan due to superannuate after a year, it appears he may be able to preside over the new team only for the next budget. Dr. Narayan brings considerable administrative expertise to the post of Finance Secretary since, apart from handling the Revenue Department, he has previously held the post of Secretary in the Ministries of Petroleum and Coal.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National