Who will be the next finance secretary?

A hunt is said to have begun for appointments to two top bureaucratic slots in the finance ministry and pointers are that it could be an economist and not an IAS official who could become the next finance secretary.

Incumbent Finance Secretary D C Gupta, an IAS officer, is slated to retire by the end of next month, by which time the preparation for the next budget is likely to begin.

The names that have already started doing the rounds for the top bureaucratic post in the ministry are Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor Rakesh Mohan and 12th Finance Commission member Shankar Acharya. Both have earlier served in the ministry as chief economic advisor.

Usually, the finance secretary is also the secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs. Acharya had served as Chief Economic Advisor under Mamohan Singh and P Chidambaram from 1992-98, while Mohan had served under Yashwant Sinha.

Official sources said that a clear picture would emerge in a couple of weeks.

Revenue Secretary Vineeta Rai is retiring this month end and the slot would in all probability go to an IAS officer, the sources said. Divestment Secretary R Pornalingam is among the contenders for the post.

The government has already appointed noted economist Parthasarathy Shome as the new adviser to the finance minister in place of Vijay Kelkar. Shome, who is with the International Monetary Fund in Washington, is expected to take over by this month end. Shome would, however, be of secretary rank unlike Kelkar who was in the rank of a minister of state.