For the second time in four months, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh has got a new A-team in place. The appointment of C S Rao as the new revenue secretary and D C Gupta as secretary expenditure was announced on Wednesday.Gupta was presently secretary (banking and insurance) and Rao was expenditure secretary. The situation arose on account of the poor health of revenue secretary Ajay Vikram Singh. Singh, who had to be moved out to a lighter charge in the ministry of non-conventional energy as secretary.In a series of important transfers and upgrades, the appointments committee of the Cabinet placed Vineeta Rai, special secretary, Department of Urban Development, as secretary (banking and insurance). The committee also approved the appointment of G C Srivastava, presently chairman of the Tariff Commission, as secretary of the Twelfth Finance Commission. His tenure will be co-terminus with the tenure of TFC, even though he superannuates next year. V K Agnihotri will take over as chairman of the Tariff Commission.S P Arya has been appointed as adviser in the Planning Commission in the rank and pay of a secretary. V K Duggal, presently director-general tourism, as been appointed as special secretary, ministry of environment and forests. S S Blowria, director enforcement, has been promoted in the rank of a secretary. He will continue in his present post.Prasnna K Hota, presently vice-chairman, Delhi Development Authority, has been appointed as additional secretary in the Department of Urban Development. Subhash Sharma has been appointed as vice-chairman of DDA.Priyadarshi Thakur, presently managing director Nafed, has been appointed as additional secretary and financial adviser in the ministry of external affairs. Baleshwar Rai has been appointed as additional secretary, ministry of labour.Satwant Reddy has been appointed as additional secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs. Gouri Chatterjee has been appointed as managing director Nafed in the rank and pay of additional secretary. Sudhir Mankad has been appointed as joint secretary and financial adviser, ministry of road transport and highways.
