Reshuffle in Finance Ministry Ahead of Union Budget

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Reshuffle in Finance Ministry Ahead of Union Budget

Days leading up to the Union Budget 2025, there was a notable change in the finance ministry as announced by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. According to the recent notification, Arunish Chawla, who was serving as the Revenue Secretary, will now transition to the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), while Tuhin Kanta Pandey, the DIPAM Secretary, will take over as the new Revenue Secretary. Furthermore, Pandey will continue his role as the Finance Secretary in addition to his new responsibilities.

In light of these changes, Arunish Chawla will also take on extra responsibilities as the Secretary of the Department of Public Enterprises in the Ministry of Finance and the Secretary of the Ministry of Culture until a regular successor is appointed or until further notice. Chawla, who assumed the position of Revenue Secretary in the Ministry of Finance recently, had been previously serving as the Secretary of the Department of Pharmaceuticals in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, in addition to overseeing the Ministry of Culture. The vacancy of Revenue Secretary arose after Sanjay Malhotra was appointed as the governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Tuhin Kanta Pandey, an IAS officer of the Odisha cadre from the 1987 batch, was also entrusted with the additional responsibility of overseeing the Department of Public Enterprises. These changes in leadership within the finance ministry, just ahead of the Union Budget presentation scheduled for February 1, are perceived as a strategic move by the government as they prepare for the upcoming critical financial planning phase.