New Delhi: Senior IAS officer Ajit Kumar
Seth, known as a meticulous bureaucrat who plays by the rules,
was on Tuesday appointed as the next Cabinet Secretary.
Seth, a 1974-batch officer from Uttar Pradesh cadre, will
succeed K M Chandrasekar who retires next month after serving
in the post for four years, which includes two extensions.
The appointment of Seth, who is currently Secretary,
Public Grievances and Co-ordination in the Cabinet
Secretariat, was cleared by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,
officials said.
The 59-year-old will serve as an Officer on Special Duty
in the Cabinet Secretariat till June 13 and assume charge the
next day. He will have a fixed two-year tenure.
Seth has edged out at least two officers Pulak
Chatterjee, who is considered close to the Nehru-Gandhi
family, and Bihar Chief Secretary Anup Mukherjee for the top
post as they were also in contention.
Born on November 24, 1951, Seth is Masters in
Chemistry. He is known as a meticulous bureaucrat who plays by
the rules.
Seth has served in various key positions in Uttar Pradesh
government before coming to the Centre on deputation on
January 1, 2009 when he was appointed to the current post.
63-year-old Chandrasekar, a 1970-batch IAS officer from
Kerala cadre, is demitting the post to which he was appointed
in 2007 for a term of two years.
He was given a one-year extension in June 2009. He got
another one-year extension last year.
The last extension ended the aspirations among 1972 and
1973 batch IAS officers for the top bureaucratic post of the
country.
PTI
