Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s key Budget team for 2020 has gaps in key positions. As the Budget season of the government begins in earnest, the posts of joint secretary (Budget) and of expenditure secretary are being handled as additional charges by other officers. On Wednesday, Economic Affairs Secretary Atanu Chakraborty was given additional charge as expenditure secretary.
What is surprising is that Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, despite being senior to Chakraborty, was not given the additional charge once Expenditure Secretary Girish Chandra Murmu was elevated as Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir. Pandey is from 1984 batch of IAS