Rajiv Guaba to be Home Secretary

The Modi government on Wednesday carried out a reshuffle in the top bureaucracy, appointing Rajiv Guaba as Home Secretary, and Subhash Garg as Secretary, Economic Affairs, in the Ministry of Finance (MoF).

In total, 17 top officials were appointed to fill vacancies in important positions like Economic Affairs, Telecommunications, Power, Personnel and Shipping.

A 1982-batch IAS officer, Mr. Gauba, currently Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, has been moved to the Ministry of Home Affairs as Officer on Special Duty and will take over as Secretary, MHA, in August when the incumbent Rajiv Mehrishi’s two-year term ends.

In the Department of Economic Affairs (DCA), the government has appointed Rajasthan cadre’s Mr. Subhash Garg, currently Executive Director of the World Bank. His appointment in the MoF was widely expected as he is considered very close to the current dispensation and was sent on coveted position in the World Bank when the Modi government came to power in 2014.

Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary Information Technology, has been shifted as Secretary, Telecommunication, which she was handling as additional charge. Ajay Mittal, Secretary, Information and Broadcasting, has been appointed new Secretary, Personnel, in place of B.P. Sharma, who is superannuating this month.