In next 13 days, Shaktikanta Das will be India’s finance secretary; Watal on leave till Jan 3

Shaktikanta Das

FROM today (December 22), department of economic affairs (DEA) secretary and 1980 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS Shaktikanta Das will have a new designation -- finance secretary. But his new designation will last only for 13 days, i.e. till January 3, 2016. In fact, 1978 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS and expenditure secretary Ratan P Watal who is also the finance secretary by virtue of being the senior-most of all the five finance ministry secretaries, will be on…
leave during this period. Das is in all probability will become the finance secretary once Watal retires on February 28, 2016. Das will retire exactly a year later, i.e. February end of 2017. Das was revenue secretary initially, but the government decided to bring him to DEA in August 2015, making it clear that he would anchor the 2016-17 Budget-making process.
In fact, the preparation of the general Budget, scheduled to be presented in February end next year, will be geared up only from the next month. Also, the process of implementing the 7th Central Pay Commission is also expected to begin in the real sense only after Watal joins back in the first week of January. The department of expenditure is the secretariat for implementing the Pay Commission report which was submitted last month.
Meanwhile, secretary of the ministry of statistics and programme implementation, Dr TCA Anant will also be on leave during this Christmas-New Year season. He will be on leave between December 24, 2015 to January 3, 2016. The government has given the additional charge of the post of secretary, ministry of statistics and programme implementation, to DARPG secretary and 1981 batch UP cadre IAS Devendra Chaudhury.