Enforcement Directorate Director Rajan Katoch gets three month extension

NEW DELHI: The tenure of senior IAS officer Rajan S Katoch as the chief of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been extended by another three-months as the government gave him a second extension on the post today.

Katoch is handling the ED charge in an additional capacity since August 2014 after he was promoted and appointed Heavy Industries Secretary. Upon his elevation, he was asked to hold the ED Director charge till January 2015 after which he was given the first extension on the post to continue till April 30.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today issued orders and extended his stint in the central probe agency till July, 2015.

A 1979-batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, Katoch has been heading the ED, under the Finance Ministry, for over three years now after he was first appointed in March 2012.

The ED chief post is an Additional Secretary rank post. The officer has been credited with bringing in some of the best practices to increase accountability and transparency in this department vested with the enforcement of two of the most stringent laws in the country-- the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to check black money and hawala trade.

A post-graduate in economics, Katoch has earlier served in the Ministry of Commerce, besides holding a number of posts in his parent cadre.