Rtd IAS Arun Goel appointed Election Commissioner
New Delhi: Arun Goel, a 1985 batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre who took voluntary retirement on Friday, has been appointed as an Election Commissioner.
He was to retire on December 31, 2022 after completing 60 years of age.
Once he joins his new responsibility, Goel would be in line to be the next chief election commissioner after incumbent Rajiv Kumar demits office in February 2025.
He will join CEC Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey on the poll panel.
There was a vacancy in the EC following the retirement of Sushil Chandra as CEC in May this year.
Goel was, till recently, the heavy industries secretary and his voluntary retirement came into effect on November 18. He has also served in the Union Culture ministry.
According to the law dealing with appointment, service conditions and retirement of election commissioners, a person can hold the office of an EC or CEC for six years or till attaining the age of 65, whichever is earlier.
Goel will be in office till December 2027.
"The President is pleased to appoint Shri Arun Goel, IAS (Retd.) (PB: 1985) as the Election Commissioner in the Election Commission with effect from the date he assumes the office," the law ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
His appointment comes days before Gujarat goes to two-phase polls on December one and five. The poll panel will have its full strength when it decides the election schedule for Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura and Karnataka in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Senior bureaucrat Vibhu Nayar has been appointed as Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of External Affairs as part of a senior-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre on Saturday.
Nayar, a 1990 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, is at present Executive Director, India Trade Promotion Organisation, Department of Commerce.
Besides him, Sumita Dawra has been appointed as Special Secretary (Logistics), Department for Promotion of Industry and In-ternal Trade, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry said.
Shantmanu, Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) in the Ministry of Textiles will be Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
Sanjay Rastogi, a 1991 batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers.
He is currently Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Ministry of Textiles.
Sriram Taranikanti, Additional Secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat will be Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Min-istry of Home Affairs.
Khilli Ram Meena has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Rural Development, Mahmood Ahmed will be Additional Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and Rajesh Agarwal has been appointed as Addition-al Secretary, Department of Commerce, the order stated.
Rohit Kansal will be Additional Secretary, Ministry of Textiles and
Dipti Mohil Chawla has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Defence.
T Natarajan will be Additional Secretary, Department of Defence Production, it said.
Peeyush Kumar has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce and Kamini Chauhan Ratan will be Ad-ditional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, the order said.
Pramod Kumar Meherda, Managing Director, National Food Security Mission, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, it said.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved in-situ upgradation of 12 civil servants.
Subodh Kumar Singh, Joint Secretary in the Department of Food & Public Distribution will be Additional Secretary in the same department.
Rohit Kumar, Joint Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat will now be Additional Secretary in the same place.
Rakesh Gupta has been appointed as Additional Secretary, President's Secretariat, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi will be Additional Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training.
Ashish Vachhani has been appointed Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, among others, the order stated.
WITH AGENCY INPUTS
