The recent reshuffle of top government officials, just a month before the budget presentation, has led to Arunish Chawla being appointed as the new Revenue Secretary in the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance. Previously, he served as the Secretary in the Department of Pharmaceuticals within the Ministry of Chemical and Fertilisers since November 1, 2023. Arunish Chawla, an IAS officer from Bihar cadre, will take over from economic affairs secretary Ajay Seth.

According to various reports, Chawla will also continue to hold the additional charge of Secretary, Ministry of Culture till the appointment of a regular incumbent. He has more than three years in service left with his tenure scheduled to end in July 2028.

The post of Revenue Secretary had fallen vacant, earlier this month, after Sanjay Malhotra was appointed the RBI Governor to replace Shaktikanta Das whose extended tenure came to an end.

Career Timeline and Positions Held

As per reports, Arunish became IAS officer at age of 23. Between 2014 and 2016, Chawla served as Joint Secretary in the Expenditure Department of the Ministry of Finance. In addition to his role as Minister (Economics) at the Indian Embassy in the United States, he has worked as a senior economist with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Chawla holds both a postgraduate degree and a PhD in economics from the London School of Economics. Over the course of his career, he has held a variety of significant positions. Notably, Arunish Chawla also served as Additional Chief Secretary of Planning and Development, while simultaneously acting as Secretary of the Bihar State Planning Board and Project Director of the Bihar Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Society.

He also contributed to urban development as Additional Chief Secretary for Urban Development and Housing and served as Managing Director of the Patna Metro Rail Corporation.

As Revenue Secretary, Chawla will oversee several key initiatives, including implementing a comprehensive review of the Income Tax Act, rationalizing GST rates, reviewing Customs duties, enhancing tax collection, and driving digital transformation, among other responsibilities.