Centre Appoints New Commerce and Aviation Secretaries in Senior Bureaucratic Reshuffle
Rajesh Agarwal, the new Commerce Secretary, will lead India’s trade negotiations with the United States, ASEAN, and other partners, marking a shift in the Centre’s trade policy strategy.
The Centre has appointed new secretaries in the commerce and aviation ministries, as part of a senior-level bureaucratic reshuffle approved on Friday.
Rajesh Agarwal, a 1994-batch IAS officer from the Manipur cadre, has been named the next Commerce Secretary, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet said. He will take over from Sunil Barthwal, who is due to retire on 30 September, and will serve as Special Secretary in the interim at the Department of Commerce.
Agarwal is currently heading all talks between India and the US. In addition, he is also heading the review of the free trade agreement in goods with the 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) bloc, in addition to negotiations for the proposed comprehensive trade pact with Australia and Peru. In addition, he is also incharge of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).
From July 2021 to December 2022, Agarwal served as Chief Electoral Officer for Manipur, as well as the Principal Secretary for Power and Home in the Government of Manipur.
Agarwal has also served key roles as an Executive Director at the India Trade Promotion Organisation and as a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.
Samir Kumar Sinha, also a 1994-batch IAS officer from the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, has been appointed as Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation. He replaces Vumlunmang Vualnam, who has been transferred as Secretary in the Department of Expenditure under the Ministry of Finance.
Before his elevation, Sinha served as Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition) in the Ministry of Defence. He earlier held roles in the Assam state government as Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister and as Additional Chief Secretary in the Finance Department. He holds a postgraduate degree in History from Hindu College, Delhi University.
Earlier in the day, the government named Arvind Srivastava as Revenue Secretary and Anuradha Thakur as Economic Affairs Secretary in a key reshuffle of the Finance Ministry’s top leadership. The Finance Ministry reshuffle also included the appointments of Vumlunmang Vualnam as Expenditure Secretary and K Moses Chalai as Secretary of Public Enterprises to aid fiscal planning and economic governance.
