K Rajaraman Additional Secretary, Finance Ministry appointed Telecom Secretary, AI chairman Rajiv Bansal new Aviation Secretary

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on September 22 appointed K Rajaraman, Additional Secretary, Finance Ministry as Telecom Secretary, Department of Telecommunications (DoT)

K Rajaraman, a Tamil Nadu cadre 1989 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) replaces Anshu Prakash as the new secretary in Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

Rajaraman would take over the new role following Prakash's superannuation on September 30, 2021.

His appointment in the telecom department comes just days after the government unveiled a relief package for the telecom sector.

Prior to joining as Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance in 2018, Rajaraman also served as a Joint Secretary in Finance Ministry.

The government has also appointed 12 other new secretaries and nine other new special secretaries in various ministries.

Air India CMD Rajiv Bansal has been appointed Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation. He will replace the current Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola, who is retiring on September 30.

Bansal, the current CMD of Air India, is an Indian Administrative Service officer from the Nagaland cadre from the batch of 1988 and has earlier served as Additional Secretary in the Petroleum & Natural Gas Ministry. He has also served as the Joint Secretary in the Electronics & Information Technology Ministry and was also Deputy Commissioner in Cabinet Secretariat.

Devendra Kumar Singh was named as the first secretary of the newly created corporation ministry. A 1989 batch Kerala cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, Singh earlier served as the additional micro, small and medium enterprises secretary and development commissioner.

The Union government in July announced the creation of the cooperation ministry to implement the vision of “Sahkar se Samriddhi (prosperity through cooperation)”. It aims to provide a separate administrative, legal, and policy framework for strengthening the cooperative movement in the country.

Another IAS officer, Sunil Barthwal, currently the central provident fund commissioner of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation was appointed secretary at the ministry of labour and employment. Barthwal is a 1989 batch officer belonging to the Bihar cadre.

Home ministry’s additional secretary, Govind Mohan, has been named as culture ministry secretary. He will replace Raghvendra Singh as he has retired.

The government also appointed Anurag Jain, vice chairman, Delhi Development Authority as secretary, department for promotion of industry and internal trade.

Similarly, Anuradha Prasad, Special Secretary in Ministry of Labour will replace Sanjeev Gupta as the Secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat, Ministry of Home.

Pradip Kumar Tripathi, the current Steel Secretary has been appointed Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training.

Ansuli Arya has been appointed the Secretary, Department of Official Language, while Rajesh Aggarwal has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Similarly, Lok Ranjan has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region and Sujata Chaturvedi as Secretary, Department of Sports.

The government has also elevated additional secretaries to the rank of special secretaries within their departments. They include S Kishore, Shri V Srinivas, and Manoj Joshi. Katikithala Srinivas will now head the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in the rank and pay of secretary.