Haryana ex-IAS officer is President’s Secy

New Delhi, July 22

Preparations for the oath-taking ceremony of  President-elect Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday got underway here with the government appointing former Haryana cadre IAS officer Sanjay Kothari as the Secretary to the President.

Kothari, currently Chairman of the Public Enterprises Selection Board, will replace Information Service Officer Omita Paul whose appointment co-terminates with the end of the tenure of President Pranab Mukherjee on demitting office.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet also cleared Gujarat Forest Service officer Bharat Lal, a close confidant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as a Joint Secretary in Rashtrapati Bhawan. Lal at present is serving as the Resident Commissioner of Gujarat Government in Delhi.

Senior journalist and columnist Ashok Malik will be the new Press Adviser. Malik, who contributes regularly in various newspapers and periodicals, is currently a Distinguished Fellow at the premier think-tank Observer Research Foundation. All the appointments are for a two-year period. — TNS