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Why did Centre revisit its decision on Revenue Secretary?

By Rakesh Ranjan- 10 Jan 2025
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New Delhi (10. 01.2025): Known for throwing surprises, the Centre has done it yet again by swapping Revenue Secretary Arunish Chawla (IAS: 1992: BH) with Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey (IAS: 1987: OD). Pandey, Finance Secretary-designate, is now Revenue Secretary while Chawla is the new Secretary, DIPAM. On the face of it, the decision was a U-turn in the middle of the Union Budget.

The said development freed T K Pandey of additional burdens of the Department of Public Enterprise (DPE) and consolidated his position in the Ministry of Finance months ahead of retirement while Arunish Chawla continues with the burden of two additional charges of Ministry of Culture and DPE. Pandey will be retiring on July 31 this year while Chawla has service terms till July 2028.  

Like Pandey; Chawla too wielded the full confidence of the New Delhi establishment. As Pharmaceutical Secretary, he also handled Culture as the additional charge and now as Secretary, DIPAM, he is given two additional responsibilities of Culture and DPE. Replacing each other in their respective ministries has given wings to speculations and interpretations. 

It is understood that the Revenue Department is a heavy and engaging portfolio and demands constant monitoring especially ahead of the Budget. It sounds logical that besides being Revenue Secretary, Chawla had a heavy workload as Culture Secretary with Republic Day and Maha Kumbh just days away but this would certainly have been factored in while appointing him, on December 25,  as Revenue Secretary.   

A section of whos who says that it needed an experienced hand to deal with the intricacies of the Union Budget. One knows well that DEA Secretary Ajay Seth (IAS: 1987: KN) has been handling the Budget while Shaktikanta Das ran the administration of RBI smoothly. Views that support 'especialisation' as a reason behind the abrupt reshuffle do not carry much weightage. Yet its true that being the Finance Secretary, who coordinates the Budget exercise, Pandey has been working with revenue, expenditure, economic affairs and financial services departments since months which gave his experience an edge over others. 

On the face of it, the decision was a U-turn in the middle of Union Budget. As a matter of fact, the day followed a remarkable dip in the capital market. Union Budget, Maha-Kumbh and Republic Day programme are mammoth events but don’t add much in explaining the decision. To a large section of officials, the decision was astonishing and unwelcoming thus having the potential of endless interpretations. Yet, being the government's prerogative all such criticisms and interpretations do not carry much weightage in the larger affairs of governance and administration.
(By Rakesh Ranjan)

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