New Delhi: The central government has appointed senior IAS officer TV Somanathan, a 1987-batch officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, as the new Cabinet Secretary for a term of two years, starting from 30 August 2024. Somanathan, who is currently serving as the Finance Secretary, will succeed Rajiv Gauba, who has held the position since August 2019.
 

An official statement from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet confirmed that Somanathan will first serve as Officer on Special Duty in the Cabinet Secretariat before officially taking over as Cabinet Secretary.
 

Somanathan has had an illustrious career. He ranked second in his Civil Service examination and was awarded the Gold Medal as the Best IAS Probationer of his batch. His previous roles include positions in the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, and a directorship at the World Bank.
 

Somanathan is highly qualified, holding a PhD in Economics and an MA in Economics from Calcutta University. He has also completed an Executive Development Programme at Harvard Business School and is a Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary. /BI