The Ministry of Finance on Monday announced that Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia had been appointed the finance secretary. Adhia is a 1981 batch IAS officer from Gujarat.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet issued the order after the post fell vacant as Ashok Lavasa’s tenure as finance secretary ended on October 31.
Adhia’s appointment comes ahead of the Goods and Services Tax Council meeting on November 9 and 10. The council, headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, is expected to consider lowering the 28% GST rate on some daily-use items at the meeting.
On October 22, Adhia had said that the GST rates need to be overhauled to reduce the burden on small businesses, given that the new system was now firmly implemented. He had said this will help small businessmen comply with the new rules and accept the GST regime better.
The senior-most secretary in the Finance Ministry is designated as the finance secretary as per convention.
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