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The Government of India recently appointed 22 new Joint Secretaries in its different departments. A closer look at the appointments suggests that it wasn’t just another routine transfer and posting exercise; instead their selection was done keeping in mind the kind of expertise they bring along to bene“t speci“c departments. A report curated by Akanki Sharma of ENN

In the corridors of power, it’s widely quoted that the desk of the Joint Secretaries acts as the rudder of the corresponding department of the Government of India. Armed with ample multi-faceted experiences from working in the State Governments, the Joint Secretaries are assigned the task to steer formulation of policies and programmes having far reaching implications.

A Joint Secretary represents the typical image of a workaholic, file smitten bureaucrat taking long strides to reach his desk well in time to handle a deluge of work.

Last month, the Government appointed as many as 22 Joint Secretaries across various departments. The most interesting part was the breaking of the glass ceiling of the conventions followed so far. Several of these Joint Secretaries have been paratrooped from other specialised services, probably with the intention of utilising their vast experiences and skill sets for an increasing specialised function.

At eGov, we thought of welcoming these new movers and shakers by introducing their careerlines to our readers who are always amply curious and eager on this count.

Sanjiv Kumar

Sanjiv Kumar, an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer of 1992 batch and Union Territory cadre, has been appointed as the Joint Secretary in the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance.

Prior to it, he has worked with several other ministries and departments, including Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Social Welfare Department, Women and Child Development Department, Environment and Forest Department, Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Information and Publicity Department, among others.

Kumar holds the experience for managing land revenue twice, firstly from 1994-95 and then from 2004-2006 as the sub divisional admin and divisional admin respectively. He has also served in the New Delhi Municipal Council from Dec 1, 2002 to Jan 14, 2004.

Furthermore, he enhanced his skills while working as a Labour Commissioner in New Delhi.

Kumar has been transferred 22 times till now. He has delivered his services in a number of states, including Pondicherry, Andaman & Nicobar and New Delhi.

Hailing from the capital city of India, Kumar has done his graduation in Accountancy.

Iqbal Singh Chahal

Iqbal Singh Chahal, a 1989 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre, is currently given the role of a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

From holding the post of Additional Commissioner to Collector, Iqbal has worked in the Land Revenue Management and District Administration for several years. He holds specialisation in the Urban Development as he had spent two years in the sector from 2005-2007. Chahal has also served in the Department of Finance and Department of Home under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Before working as a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, he worked as a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Child Development too.

Chahal has mostly worked in Maharashtra region. Furthermore, he has worked on Dharavi Redevelopment Project, under which the size of the redeveloped tenements was supposed to be reduced to 300 sq ft, as against the long- pending residents’ demand for 400 sq ft houses.

Chahal holds a degree in Engineering holding first division with distinction. He belongs to the city of Rajasthan and knows many languages like English, Hindi, Marathi and Punjabi.

Umesh Kumar Singh Chauhan

A 1986 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre, Umesh Kumar started his career with Personnel and General Administration training, unlike others. However, after gaining one year experience in the domain, he worked for Land Revenue Management and District Administration, first from 1988 to 1990 and then from 1994 to 1997.

Some of the ministries Umesh has worked with are Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. He has worked in Uttar Pradesh and spent around five years there while serving in areas like Water Resources, Tourism, Finance, Information and Broadcasting. He has also served in Kottayam, Pali, Kerala and Wayanad.

From 2010 to 2012, he has also worked as a Resident Commissioner (Additional Secretary Level) in the Kerala House at New Delhi.

Umesh belongs to the State of Uttar Pradesh. He is well-versed with Malayalam, besides English and Hindi languages. He is a Graduate in Zoology, Botany, Chemistry with second division. He has also done Post Graduation in Botany and Hindi, securing first division.

Pravir Krishna

A 1987 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, Pravir Krishna has also been assigned the role of a Joint Secretary lately in the Ministry of Shipping. Prior to it, he was Prl Secretary (Additional Secretary Level) in the Ayurveda Department.

From 1989 to 1991, Krishna gained experience in Land Revenue Management and District Administration. Later, he was appointed as the Planning Officer in the Ministry of Rural Development. Subsequently, he took experience in Land Revenue Management and District Administration for eight years.

The geographies he has worked in are Surguja, Bastar, Nagrik Aapoorti Nigam, among others. He has also worked as a Director in the Cabinet Secretariat and holds experience in Personnel and General Administration. The Ministries he has worked with in his career comprise the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2007-2009), Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (Jan 23, 2009 to Feb 15, 2009). He has also worked as Prl Secretary (Additional Secretary Level) in Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department from April 13, 2012 to Nov 02, 2015.

Krishna hails from the State of Bihar and has done his Graduation and Post Graduation in Economics, attaining first division.

Pankaj Jain

Recently appointed as a Joint Secretary in the Department of Financial Services, Pankaj is a 1990 batch IAS officer of Assam- Meghalaya cadre. He has spent a long time (nine years) holding experience in the Land Revenue Management and District Administration.

In addition to it, he has worked under the Ministry of Small Scale Industries. He also holds experience in Planning and Programme Implementation, Agriculture and Cooperation, Cooperatives and much more.

In the State of Meghalaya, he has worked in West Garo Hills, along with the Community and Rural Development Department of the State, Infotech and Community and Rural Development, among others. Also, in the Meghalaya House of New Delhi, he has served as a Resident Commissioner (Joint Secretary Level).

Apart from it, he has worked in the Power Department and Planning Department as Prl Secretary (Additional Secretary Level) as well.

Hailing from Delhi, Pankaj has studied Commerce during Graduation, while he has done his Post Graduation in Management. He also holds a PG Diploma in Cost Accounting with first division.

Manoj Joshi

A veteran and an IAS officer of 1989 batch, Kerala cadre, Manoj Joshi also began his career in the administrative services by holding experience in Land Management and District Administration. His overall experience in this area is five years.

He has spent most of his time with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. His journey there started as Deputy Secretary in the year 1999 and he later became the Director in the year 2003. Then in the year 2004, he headed towards the post of Counsellor in the same Ministry and maintained it till the year 2008. He has also worked in the Health and Family Welfare Department, Ports Department and Public Works Department. Besides, the ministries he has worked with include Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Currently holding the post of Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, he was earlier holding the same post in the Ministry of Finance.

Manoj belongs to the city of Rajasthan and his academic qualification includes Graduation in Mechanical Engineering, Post Graduation Diploma in Management System Analysis and a certificate in Financial Management Chartered Financial Analyst.

Sandeep Saxena

Sandeep Saxena, a 1989 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, has been appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner (JS Level). Currently a part of the Election Commission of India, he has earlier worked with various departments under several ministries.

Like any other beginner, Saxena also started his career gaining experience in Land Revenue Management for a period of five years. During his five-years tenure, he worked in the southern cities of Coimbatore, Dindigul and Salem. After that, he worked in the State of Madhya Pradesh in the Department of Health and Family Welfare. In addition, he has also worked in the Department of Revenue as Additional Secretary. The other areas he has served comprise Small Scale Industries, General Administration, Agriculture and Cooperation, Law and Justice Elections.

Till date, Saxena has been transferred 25 times and has worked in various domains. His academic qualifications reveal a bit about various interests he possess as he is a graduate in Civil Engineering, holds a Masters Degree in Water Management and a Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Management.

Vandana Gurnani

A 1991 batch IAS officer of Karnataka cadre, Vandana Gurnani has been appointed as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Micro Small Medium Enterprise (MSME). In her career of 12 years, she has assumed a number of designations in several departments.

She started her career as an Assistant Commissioner in the year 1993 and worked in Raichur for two years gaining the experience for Land Revenue Management and District Administration.

Apart from it, she has also worked in the Department of Women and Child Development as a Managing Director for about three years. Further, she has worked as the Project Director for AIDS Prevention and Control. She has also worked as an Executive Director as well as a Project Director in the University of Manitoba located in Canada. Currently appointed in the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Gurnani has earlier worked in the same department from 2009 to 2010. In addition, she has worked as a Resident Commissioner in Karnataka Bhawan, New Delhi.

She has worked in several places, including Bangalore, Dharwad, among others. She belongs to Delhi and has completed her Post Graduation in Economics with first division.

TVSN Prasad

A 1988 batch IAS officer of Hyderabad cadre, TVSN Prasad has also lately been appointed as Joint Secretary. Spending two years in the Revenue Department of Haryana, he gained experience in the Land Management and District Administration from 1990 to 1992.

Later, from 1992 to 1995, he worked as Additional Deputy Commissioner in the Development and Panchayats Department in the same State. Thereafter, he also worked in the Land Revenue and Disaster Management Department in Kurukshetra from 1997 to 1998.

In his overall career of 15 years, he has been transferred 31 times and as a result worked in several ministries and departments. These involve the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Power Department, Revenue Department, Land Records Department, Land Acquisition Department, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and the Ministry of Home Affairs. The prominent areas he has worked in are National Rural Health Mission; Harvard University, USA and World Bank. He hails from the State of Andhra Pradesh and knows various languages like French, English and Hindi, apart from his mother tongue Telugu. He is a Bachelor of Technology with first division from Jawahar Lal Nehru Technology University, Andhra Pradesh; Master of Public Administration from Harvard University and also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Management and Policy from Harvard itself.

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