Is K Moses Chalai Going To Be Next Finance Secy?

So far, the convention has been that the position of the Finance Secretary goes to the senior-most bureaucrat in the Finance Ministry, irrespective of the portfolio the person may be holding at the time.

That would leave Chalai, a 1990-batch IAS officer from the Manipur cadre, as the senior-most secretary in the Finance Ministry. 

Why Chalai’s Elevation Would Be Significant

If appointed the Finance Secretary, Chalai would be the first bureaucrat from the Northeast to hold this key position. He is likely to hold the charge till his scheduled retirement in January 2028, because, unlike secretaries for Home or Defence, the Finance Secretary post does not have a stipulated two-year term. 

Being the senior-most among the secretaries in the Finance Ministry, the Finance Secretary plays the role of coordinator among all departments under the Ministry, acting as the first among equals among them. 

Chalai could also act as a critical link between the Centre and the Northeast. 

Of the over 1,000 IAS officers from the various cadres of the Northeast — including Assam-Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura and AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories) — about 600 officers come from the Assam-Meghalaya cadre alone.

The seven states in the Northeast, which the Narendra Modi government considers key to its Act East policy, are also important for maintaining internal security. “We are working aggressively to develop and boost connectivity in this region,” a BJP member said.

The ongoing political turmoil in Bangladesh has added to the Centre’s problems. India and Bangladesh share a 4,096-km-long border — the fifth-longest land border in the world.

Several states, including West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, share international borders with Bangladesh. The uncertainty in the neighbouring country, therefore, has direct ramifications for these states.

Earlier, Home Minister Amit Shah emphasised that a peaceful and prosperous Northeast alone is not enough. Preserving its varied cultural diversity, arts, literature and languages is also important.