Bureaucratic rejig ahead of Union Budget: Tuhin Kanta Pandey new revenue secretary, Arunish Chawla shifted to DIPAM

The finance ministry underwent a major bureaucratic reshuffle on Wednesday ahead of the Union Budget 2025-26, with senior bureaucrat Tuhin Kanta Pandey, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1987 Odisha cadre, named as the new revenue secretary.

Pandey, who also serves as the finance secretary, was previously heading the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM). He replaces Arunish Chawla, who has been reassigned as secretary of DIPAM, according to an official order.

Chawla, a 1992-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Bihar cadre, will also hold additional charge as secretary of the Department of Public Enterprises and the Ministry of Culture until a permanent appointment is made.

Chawla took over as revenue secretary on December 25 last year. He has served as secretary in the Department of Pharmaceuticals under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers. He has also held key positions such as Managing Director of the Patna Metro Rail Project and served as a Senior Economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, D.C.

An alumnus of the London School of Economics, Chawla holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in economics.

Both Pandey and Chawla were part of the extensive one-month long pre-Budget discussions with the stakeholders.

The Union Budget is scheduled to be presented on February 1, 2025.