Centre orders fresh postings for 18, US trade deal negotiator to be next Commerce Secy
Rajesh Agarwal, India’s chief negotiator for the bilateral trade agreement with the US, will be the next Commerce Secretary once incumbent Sunil Barthwal retires on September 30.
Currently Additional Secretary Commerce, Agarwal, a 1994-batch Manipur cadre IAS officer, who is leading India’s case amid upheaval in global trade following US President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff announcement, was on Friday named Special Secretary, Commerce, in a major bureaucratic reshuffle that reassigned 18 top officers of the Narendra Modi government to different departments.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), consisting of PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, approved the reshuffle which saw the Finance Ministry get four new secretaries, thereby completing its strength of six secretaries.
The appointments in the Finance Ministry are key as they come at a time when global trade is under tremendous stress due to slapping of reciprocal tariffs by Trump and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam, 1991-batch IAS officer of Manipur cadre, has been moved as the new expenditure secretary. He will replace 1991-batch MP cadre officer Manoj Govil who will go as Secretary Coordination in the Cabinet Secretariat. A 1994-batch IAS officer of the Karnataka cadre Arvind Shrivastava, currently additional secretary in the PMO, has been appointed the new revenue secretary. Revenue charge is currently with Ajay Seth, who is also secretary, economic affairs.
The ACC said 1994-batch IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre Anuradha Thakur will take over as secretary, economic affairs, after Seth superannuates on June 30. Currently additional secretary, corporate affairs, handling the flagship PM Internship Plan, Anuradha Thakur has been posted as Officer on Special Duty in the Department of Economic Affairs.
Secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat in the Home Ministry, K Moses Chalai, a 1990-batch IAS officer of Manipur cadre, has been appointed Secretary, Public Enterprises.
With today’s reshuffle, the Finance Ministry will have all six secretaries, its full strength, the other two being Arunish Chawla, Secretary, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management, and M Nagaraju, Secretary Financial Services.
In the Civil Aviation Ministry, Samir Sinha, a 1994-batch officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, has been moved as secretary. Additional Secretary, Department of Revenue, Vivek Agarwal, a 1994-batch MP cadre IAS officer, will be the new Secretary, Culture.
India