Arun Kumar Mehta is J&K’s new chief secretary

SRINAGAR – The government on Thursday approved the appointment of Financial Commissioner, Finance, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta as J&K’s new chief secretary.

The Union Home Ministry has approved the appointment of Mehta, an IAS officer of 1988 batch, as J&K’s new chief secretary after BVR Subrahmanyam was moved to New Delhi and posted as officer on special duty (OSD) in Union Commerce Ministry. Subrahmanyam will take over as Union Commerce Secretary on June 30, according to a home ministry order.

A non-controversial IAS officer, Mehta has held key bureaucratic positions in Jammu & Kashmir and at New Delhi during his 33-year bureaucratic career.

He has held key field postings in J&K including deputy commissioner Baramulla, additional deputy commissioner Jammu and sub- divisional magistrate Basholi.

He served as deputy commissioner of Baramulla between May 19, 1994 to April 19, 1997 when militancy was at its peak in J&K.

He also served as power secretary of Jammu and Kashmir before proceeding on central deputation. He served as additional secretary in the Union ministry of environments, forests and climate change.

After returning to J&K in 2018, Mehta helmed the Finance department and took several initiatives to fast-track the development process and bring accountability and transparency in governance.

In April 2020, Mehta was empaneled as secretary to the government of India.