AMIT KHARE NAMED I&B SECRETARY, ANUP WADHAWAN COMMERCE SECY

Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers Amit Khare and Anup Wadhawan have been appointed secretaries in the information and broadcasting ministry and commerce ministry, respectively, as part of a major bureaucratic reshuffle effected on Friday by the Centre. M M Kutty has been named petroleum secretary and senior bureaucrat Rina Ray secretary in the department of school education and literacy, an order issued by the personnel ministry said. Atanu Chakraborty, a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, will be secretary at the department of investment and public asset management. He is at present director-general of hydrocarbons.

Senior bureaucrat Amit Khare, who blew the lid off the infamous fodder scam in Bihar, was on Friday appointed secretary to the information and broadcasting ministry as part of a major reshuffle involving 24 top IAS officers.

Anup Wadhawan and former Delhi chief secretary M M Kutty have been named new commerce and petroleum secretaries respectively. Rina Ray has been appointed secretary, the department of school education and literacy, an order issued by the personnel ministry said.

Khare, a 1985-batch IAS officer, is at present serving in his cadre state Jharkhand.

He had, in June 1996, reportedly exposed the multi-crore fodder scam, involving the then chief minister of Bihar, Lalu Prasad, when he was working as the Deputy Commissioner of Chaibasa (now in Jharkhand). Khare will take over the charge from incumbent N K Sinha who superannuates on May 31. Wadhawan, the special secretary in the department of commerce, has been appointed as officer on special duty (OSD) in the same department. The officer will take over as the secretary to the commerce ministry on the superannuation of Rita Teotia, on July 31, the order said. M M Kutty, at present the special secretary in the department of economic affairs, will take charge of the petroleum ministry from K D Tripathi after his retirement in June 2018.

Kutty, who had been principal secretary to the then chief minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit, before becoming the chief secretary, has been appointed as OSD in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, it said.

Rina Ray will succeed Anil Swarup as Secretary, the Department of School Education & Literacy. She is at present special secretary in the same department. Swarup superannuates on June 30.

Atanu Chakraborty, a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, will be secretary, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management. He is at present Director General of Hydrocarbons.

Binoy Kumar has been named the new steel secretary. He will take over the charge from Aruna Sharma who completes her term on August 31. Kumar has been appointed as OSD in the Ministry of Steel. He will continue to hold additional charge of the post of special secretary, Logistics, the Department of Commerce, until July 31. Nilam Sahwney, secretary, the Central Vigilance Commission, has been appointed secretary, the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment. Pushpa Subramanyam will be the new secretary in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. She will take over charge from J P Meena, who superannuates on August 31. Subramanyam, who is the special secretary in the Ministry of Textiles, will take over as the OSD in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, the order said.

Khare is currently serving in Jharkhand. He had, in June 1996, reportedly exposed the multi-crore fodder scam, involving the then Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad, when he was working as deputy commissioner of Chaibasa