T.V. Somanathan Named Head of the Cabinet

Rajiv Gauba has been replaced as India's new Cabinet Secretary by T.V. Somanathan. On August30,2024, Somanathan, an IAS officer from Tamil Nadu who was selected in the 1987 batch, will start a two-year term. Until he formally takes up the position, he will also function as an Officer on Special Duty.Rajiv Gauba, whose term expires this month, has been replaced as India's Cabinet Secretary by Senior IAS Officer T.V. Somanathan. On August30,2024, Somanathan will start his two-year term. Until he formally takes up the position of Cabinet Secretary, he will also work as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Cabinet Secretariat.History and Time of Appointment Previous Roles: Somanathan, an IAS official from the Tamil Nadu cadre who was born in 1987, has performed a number of important roles. He has been the Finance Secretary since April 2021 and the Expenditure Secretary since December 2019. In addition, he held a number of positions in his home country and overseas, including the Prime Minister's Office.Qualifications: He is a trained Chartered Accountant (CA) and Company Secretary (CS), with a PhD in Economics from Calcutta University. He is also fluent in five languages, including English, French, Hausa, Hindi, and Tamil. Notable Contributions: In his capacity as Finance Secretary, Somanathan was instrumental in the creation of the FY22 budget, which increased fiscal openness.

He has a distinguished academic background with over 80 papers and publications on economics, and he has also been active in examining the government employee pension system.Rajiv Gauba's Position Duration: Rajiv Gauba held the position of Cabinet Secretary for a record-breaking five years. Three extensions were given to him throughout his tenure, the most recent one being approved in August 2023. Accomplishments: Gauba's contribution to the 2019 Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act is acknowledged, as it resulted in the division of the state into two Union Territories. Possible Replacing the Finance Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey: Tuhin Kanta Pandey, who serves as the Secretary of the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (Dipam), is a strong contender for the Finance Secretary post. Significant disinvestment initiatives, such as the sale of Air India and the public introduction of LIC, have been managed by Pandey.