New Delhi: Dr. T.V. Somanathan has been appointed as the new Cabinet Secretary of India, following the retirement of Rajiv Gauba. Dr. Somanathan, an IAS officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre (1987 batch), holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Calcutta University and has completed the Executive Development Programme at Harvard Business School. He is also a qualified Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant, and Company Secretary.
Dr. Somanathan’s career includes significant roles at the Centre, such as Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office. He has also served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and as Director of Corporate Affairs at the World Bank. Before his new appointment, he was Finance Secretary and Secretary of the Department of Expenditure.
In Tamil Nadu, Dr. Somanathan held key positions including Managing Director of Chennai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., Secretary to the Chief Minister, and Additional Chief Secretary & Commissioner of Commercial Taxes. He also played a pivotal role in the Chennai Metro Rail Project as its founding Managing Director.
Dr. Somanathan joined the World Bank in 1996 as a Financial Economist and progressed to become a Sector Manager and later, Director. He has authored over 80 papers and articles and written three books published by McGraw Hill and Cambridge/Oxford University Press. /BI
