MSME Secretary Bidyut Bihari Swain appointed as UPSC member: Official

Senior bureaucrat Bidyut Bihari Swain, who is currently the Secretary of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME), has been appointed as UPSC member, officials said on Tuesday.

Swain, a 1988 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Gujarat cadre, will be administered the oath of office and secrecy on Thursday, they said.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts civil services examination annually to select officers of IAS, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among others.

The Commission is headed by a chairman and it can have a maximum of 10 members.

With Swain's appointment, there now exists a vacancy of four members.

A UPSC member is appointed for a term of six years or until attaining 65 years of age.

Swain was going to superannuate in September this year after turning 60.

During 1989 and 2018, Swain served the government of Gujarat in various posts, at district and state level.

He joined the government of India in 2018 as Additional Secretary in Department of Commerce in charge of Special Economic Zones, trade negotiations of India with Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, and export insurance. He also held various positions such as chairperson of Kimberley Protocol and Commissioner General of India, World Expo-Dubai, according to his official bio data.

On his promotion as Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce in 2020, he dealt with Trade Policy Division, CIS and Oceania divisions, with additional charge of Director General of Trade Remedies.

In January 2021, he was posted as Secretary, MSME.

Swain has a Master of Arts (MA) degree in political science from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and a Masters in Public Policy and Management from The Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, The Netherlands.