Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Tuhin Kanta Pandey, a senior IAS officer from the Odisha cadre, was named the new Union Finance Secretary. The 1987 batch officer is currently employed with the Ministry of Finance as the secretary of the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) and the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM). According to a Department of Personnel and Training order, Pandey’s appointment as Finance Secretary was confirmed by the Cabinet Appointments Committee.
Pandey takes over for T V Somanathan, who succeeded Rajiv Gauba as Cabinet Secretary when he was appointed in August. Convention dictates that the Finance Secretary is the senior-most secretary in the Union Finance Ministry.
Pandey has held a variety of positions in the Odisha government and the Union government of India. He completed his Master of Arts in Economics at Punjab University in Chandigarh and his MBA in the UK. Throughout his career in Odisha, he held positions as the Transport Commissioner, Health Secretary, Executive Director of the Odisha State Finance Corporation (OSFC), Managing Director of the Odisha Small Industries Corporation (OSIC), Collector of the Sambalpur district, Special Secretary of the General Administration department, and Commissioner of Commercial Taxes. Following a five-year term as Joint Secretary of the Planning Commission in 2009, Pandey was appointed as Joint Secretary of the Cabinet Secretariat for a two-year term. Prior to moving on central deputation, he had worked in Odisha as Principal Secretary, Finance.
