DIPP Secretary S Chandra to hold additional charge of Commerce

NEW DELHI: Secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion Saurabh Chandra today took additional charge of the Department of Commerce, which mainly deals with policy matters related to external trade.

Chandra, a 1978 batch UP cadre IAS officer, has replaced Rahul Khullar, who has been appointed as the new chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).

"Chandra will hold the additional charge for a period of three months with immediate effect or till the appointment of a regular incumbent to the post, whichever is earlier," an official release said.

The Department of Commerce is presently dealing with key issues, including foreign trade policy (FTP), negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement with European Union and process of full trade normalisation with Pakistan.

Chandra will now deal with the two departments both of which fall under Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma.