On 31 August 2015, Ratan P Watal was appointed as Union Finance Secretary. Before this appointment, he was the secretary of the Department of Expenditure of the Finance Ministry since 2013.
About Ratan Watal
- Ratan Watal currently 59, is is the senior-most bureaucrat in the finance ministry.
- Ratan Watal was IAS Officer from 1978-batch and from Andhra Pradesh cadre
- Ratan Watal holds masters degree in economics.
- Prior to this assignment, Ratan Watal was Expenditure Secretary.
About Union Ministry of Finance
- It consists of five departments namely Department of Economic Affairs, Department of Expenditure, Department of Revenue, Department of Financial Services, and Department of Disinvestments.
- Finance Secretary is the senior-most IAS officer in the Union Ministry of Finance.
- Finance Secretary coordinates the working of various departments under the Ministry of Finance.
- The Finance Ministry currently has five secretaries including Watal.
- While every other note bears the signature of the governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the rupee note bears the signature of the Finance Secretary.
