Lavasa may be next defence secy

Adhia could take over as finance secy

Ashok Lavasa, the government's finance secretary, could be the next defence secretary, after incumbent G Mohan Kumar finishes his tenure this month. This, coupled with economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das' retirement, again in late May, will trigger a bureaucratic reshuffle and could lead to Hasmukh Adhia, revenue secretary, becoming the finance secretary, this newspaper has learnt.

Lavasa, a 1980 batch Indian Administrative Service Officer, has been expenditure secretary since April 2016. He was officially named finance secretary (the term given to the seniormost of secretaries handling the economy) two months later. Senior officials said there have been discussions in the highest echelons on moving Lavasa to defence.

The secretaries of home and defence can be given a two-year l extension beyond their scheduled retirement date. Mohan Kumar was made defence secretary in May 2015 for two years, on the day of his retirement. Rajiv Mehrishi, home secretary, was also given the post on the day he was to retire as finance secretary.

Lavasa has overseen merger of the rail budget into the Union budget, abolition of the five-year plan process and advancing of the budget date from February 28 to February 1. He also led a panel to examine recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission on allowances for the central government's employees. His scheduled retirement date, by the official record, is October 21.

Das' tenure as economic affairs secretary ends on May 30. Originally to retire in February, he was given a three-month extension. A veteran policymaker, the 2017-18 budget was the eighth budget whose making he was part of.

If the buzz in bureaucratic circles is to be believed, some of the names doing the rounds for his replacement are urban development secretary Rajiv Gauba (1982 batch), World Bank executive director Subhash Garg (1983 batch), and skill development secretary K P Krishnan (1983 batch).

Once Das retires, and if Lavasa becomes defence secretary, Adhia could be the finance secretary. A 1981 batch officer, he will oversee implementation of the nationwide goods and service tax, scheduled to roll out on July 1.

Adhia's tenure as the seniormost revenue department official has also been marked by the Narendra Modi government's repeated and far-reaching effort to tackle undisclosed income, including a foreign asset declaration scheme, a domestic black money scheme, and the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana.

Lavasa, Adhia and Das are said to be among the few senior bureaucrats outside the Prime Minister's Office who were involved in the planning of demonetisation.

The other two secretaries in the finance ministry are Anjuly Chib Duggal (financial services, 1981 batch) and Neeraj Gupta (investment and public asset management, 1982 batch).