TV Somanathan Takes Over As Cabinet Secretary Of India

TV Somanathan has officially assumed the role of Cabinet Secretary of India, succeeding Rajiv Gauba, who retired on Friday.

Somanathan, an IAS officer from the 1987 batch of the Tamil Nadu cadre, was appointed by the Prime Minister-led Appointments Committee in April 2021. Prior to this role, he served as Finance Secretary and Secretary of Expenditure.

Gauba, who completed his term in August, was the longest-serving Cabinet Secretary in India’s history, having served for five years after receiving a third extension in Aug. 2023. He surpassed the tenure of his predecessor, Pradeep Kumar Sinha.

Somanathan brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having previously served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and as Joint Secretary to the Prime Minister from 2015 to 2017.

In his new capacity, he will also assume duties as Officer on Special Duty in the Cabinet Secretariat. He has also served as the Director of Corporate Affairs at the World Bank in Washington, DC.

In Tamil Nadu, Somanathan’s notable positions included Managing Director of Chennai Metro Rail Corp., Secretary to the Chief Minister, and Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner of Commercial Taxes during the crucial GST rollout phase. His achievements include managing the financial closure and initial tenders for the Chennai Metro Rail Project.

He began his career at the World Bank in 1996 as a financial economist and rose to become one of the bank’s youngest sector managers. He later served as its director from 2011 to 2015.

Somanathan holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Calcutta University and has completed the Executive Development Program at Harvard Business School. He is also a Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant, and Company Secretary. His extensive publications include over 80 papers and articles on economics, finance, and public policy, and he is the author of three books published by McGraw Hill and Cambridge/Oxford University Press.