The Centre has appointed a new secretary to the Ministry of Commercial and Aviation as part of a senior-level bureaucratic remodeling approved on Friday.
Rajesh Agarwal, a 1994 Bach IAS officer of Manipur executives, has been appointed as the next Secretary of Commerce, the Cabinet’s Appointment Committee said. He will take over from Sunil Baswar, who is scheduled to retire on September 30th and will serve as interim special secretary of the Ministry of Commerce.
Agarwal is currently in the process of all consultations between India and the US. Additionally, he also leads the review of free trade agreements on goods with 10 countries, including negotiations on proposed comprehensive trade agreements with Australia and Peru. Additionally, he is also in charge of the Agriculture and Processed Food Export Development Authority (Apeda).
From July 2021 to December 2022, Agarwal served as Manipur’s Chief Election Officer and Chief Secretary of the Manipur Government and his hometown.
Agarwal has also played an important role as executive director of the Indian Trade Promotion Organization and as a co-secretary of the Ministry of Skills Development & Entrepreneurship.
Samir Kumar Sinha, who is also a 1994 Bach IAS officer of Assam Meghalaya executives, has been appointed secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. He is replacing Vumlunmang Vualnam, who was transferred as secretary to the Ministry of Finance’s expenditures.
Prior to his promotion, Sinha served as an additional secretary and director (acquisition) at the Ministry of Defense. He previously served as the additional secretary general of the Prime Minister in the Assam government and as the additional Prime Minister of the Finance division. He holds a graduate degree in history from Hindu University, Delhi University.
Earlier that day, the government appointed Arvind Srivastava as revenue secretary and Anuradha Thakur as economic affairs secretary in the important remodeling of the top leadership of the Ministry of Finance. The reshuffle of the Ministry of Finance also includes the appointment of Vumlunmang Vualnam as spending secretaries and K Moses Chalai as secretaries of public corporations to support financial planning and economic governance.
