Service: Indian Administrative Service (IAS), 1992 batch, Bihar cadre
Current Position: Secretary, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), Ministry of Finance (since January 2025)
Additional Responsibilities: Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises; Secretary, Ministry of Culture (until further notice)
🎓 Education
Shri Arunish Chawla holds a Master’s and Doctorate in Economics from the London School of Economics.
🏛️ Administrative Career
- Department of Pharmaceuticals (2023–2024): Served as Secretary, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, focusing on the pharmaceutical sector.
- Revenue Secretary (Dec 2024–Jan 2025): Appointed as Secretary, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.
- International Monetary Fund (2020–2022): Worked as Senior Economist at the Institute of Capacity Development in Washington, D.C.
- State Government Roles: Held positions including Additional Chief Secretary for Planning and Development, Secretary of the Bihar State Planning Board, Project Director of the Bihar Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Society, Additional Chief Secretary for Urban Development and Housing, and Managing Director of Patna Metro Rail Corporation.
📌 Appointment as DIPAM Secretary
In January 2025, Shri Chawla was appointed Secretary of DIPAM, succeeding Shri Tuhin Kanta Pandey. He also took on additional responsibilities as Secretary of the Department of Public Enterprises and the Ministry of Culture.
📊 Mandate & Focus Areas
As DIPAM Secretary, Shri Chawla oversees:
- Asset Monetization: Spearheading the strategic sale and monetization of non-core assets held by public sector enterprises.
- Disinvestment Strategy: Implementing the government’s disinvestment program, including the strategic sale of entities like IDBI Bank.
- Market Engagement: Encouraging private firms to adopt fair dividend policies and engaging with mutual funds to include public sector stocks in their portfolios.
- Retail Investor Inclusion: Ensuring retail investors have equitable access to public sector offerings, including the use of green shoe options to allocate additional shares to retail investors during Offer for Sale (OFS) processes.
📝 Summary
Shri Arunish Chawla is a seasoned civil servant with a robust background in economics and public administration. His leadership at DIPAM is pivotal in advancing the government’s asset monetization and disinvestment objectives, contributing to fiscal consolidation and the efficient utilization of public assets.