Punjab cadre IAS Kusumjit Sidhu appointed as new DPE secretary; A profile

PUNJAB cadre IAS of 1979 batch Kusumjit Sidhu has been appointed as the new secretary of department of public enterprises (DPE), a department that is responsible for policy and guidance to the public sector companies in India. Ms Sidhu, who was recently empanelled as a Union secretary, is likely to take charge on December 31, 2013, when the incumbent...
OP Rawat, a 1977 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS will retire. Post retirement, Rawat will be stationed in Bhopal.
Being posted as an additional secretary and financial adviser in the same department, DPE, Sidhu’s appointment as its secretary will ensure a smooth transition of bureaucratic functions in this critical department. The DPE will be in focus if the government decides to implement the Roongta committee recommendations before the model code of conduct is enforced ahead of the general elections. The panel has recommended fixed tenure of CMDs of public sector companies among other recommendations.
Ms Sidhu in her long career spanning 34 years in bureaucracy has served both in Haryana and Punjab. Between 1986 and 1989, she was on a Central deputation and worked in the ministry of information and broadcasting. In the state, she was secretary in various departments including personnel, tourism and power.
Her tenure as a Chief Electoral Officer of Punjab was a highpoint in her civil service career. She showed her management skills and also guts when she successfully handled both the 2009 Lok Sabha elections in the state and Punjab state assembly polls, 2012. 
An MA in history, Sidhu is a Hubert Humphrey fellow.