Tapan Ray to Replace Shaktikanta Das as Economic Affairs Secretary

Tapan Ray to take additional charge as the new Secretary of Economic Affairs from 1 June.

Tapan Ray, The New Secretary of Economic Affairs, an IAS officer of Gujarat Cadre. (Photo Courtesy: Facebook Page, North Block South Block)

Tapan Ray, Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, will replace Shaktikanta Das, as the Economic Affairs Secretary from 1 June.

Ray has been assigned the additional charge on superannuation of Shaktikanta Das, a statement from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet said.

Shaktikanta Das, whose extended tenure ends on 31 May, had held the Economic Affairs Secretary post since 29 August 2015. He was to retire at the end of February, but his term was extended for another three months to ensure that the advancement of the Union Budget 2017-18 passes smoothly.

The DEA is a nodal agency in the Ministry of Finance, which deals with formulating the country's economic policies, including the annual budget.

An Indian Administrative Services officer of the Gujarat cadre, Ray was appointed the corporate affairs secretary at the same time when Das had taken over his role in the Economic Affairs Department. Ray is a mechanical engineer, a law graduate, a post graduate in public policy and international affairs and also holds multiple diplomas in German language, international law and international business.

Before becoming the corporate affairs secretary, Ray held the post of additional secretary in the Department of Electronics and Information Technology.

(The article was originally published by BloombergQuint)