Civil Services' Surgicals

Recently appointed Cabinet Minister Smt. Chandresh Kumari Katoch today assumed charge as Union Minister of Culture. Talking to newspersons after taking over, she said, it has been an honour for her to have been appointed Culture Minister of this great country which has a long legacy of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. She said, it is especially a privilege to be head of this Ministry in a period of increasing global engagement when we are entering into an era of cultural dialogue which is dictated by new developments and technologies. She said, the challenge before us is both to preserve our historical legacy while incorporating and fostering an environment for development of evolving cultural spaces. Culture is not only an abstract concept but also contributes to the daily lives of people both in terms of cultural and economic aspects.

Lt Gen Naresh Chandra Marwah, has taken over as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) from Vice Admiral SPS Cheema. The General Officer in his career spanning over 39 years has held various coveted Command, Staff and Instructional appointments. The General Officer has a vast operational experience, stretching to almost two decades across the entire spectrum of conflict. 

Smt P Lakshmi assumed charge as new Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas here today. Prior to her present assignment, she was Union Minister of State for Textile.  Smt Lakshmi is a fourth term Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from Andhra Pradesh. She was first elected to 11th Lok Sabha in 1996. Besides serving on various Parliamentary Committees, Smt Lakshmi was also Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare earlier. Her interests include social service, upliftment of the downtrodden and the poor; especially women and child development. 

Dr. Rakesh Mohan has assumed charge as Executive Director on the Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In addition to India, Dr. Mohan will also be representing three other countries in the constituency, viz. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan on the Board of the IMF.  Dr. Mohan was earlier Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and also Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India. He has also been the Chairman of National Transport Development Policy Committee and of the High Level Committee on the Financing of Infrastructure. Prior to assuming his duties at the IMF, Dr Mohan was Professor in the Practice of International Economics and Finance at the School of Management and Senior Fellow at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University.  The term of Dr. Rakesh Mohan at the IMF will be for a period of three years.  Source : Press Information Bureau