Senior IRS officer Archana Ranjan has been appointed as Special Secretary-cum-Director General of the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB), an apex body to coordinate with all agencies engaged in checking economic offences.
According to an official order, Ranjan's appointment has been approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet.
Ranjan, a 1979-batch Indian Revenue Service officer of Income Tax cadre, is currently working as Chief Commissioner in Rajasthan.
The post of Special Secretary-cum-Director General in CEIB under the Department of Revenue was lying vacant for some time. The Finance Ministry had earlier this year sought nominations from eligible officers for the post.
Officers having at least 20 years of experience in administering and running the direct tax or indirect tax administration in the central government, with at least ten years experience in the field formations of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) or Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) were eligible to apply for the post.
CEIB was set up in 1985. It is the nodal agency for economic intelligence mandated to ensure effective interaction and coordination among all the agencies concerned in the area of economic offences.
It also functions as the clearing house of all economic intelligence and provides a platform for such exchange between various agencies within the Department of Revenue and other intelligence and enforcement agencies including IB, RAW, and CBI. The CEIB is headed by the Special Secretary-cum-Director General, who is assisted by three joint secretary-level officers.
The bureau also provides intelligence to various agencies to check cases of tax evasion, money laundering, and smuggling among others.
