Rajesh Agrawal, a 1994-batch IAS officer from the Manipur cadre, has assumed charge as Commerce Secretary on Wednesday, according to a ministry statement here. He took over from Sunil Barthwal, who retired on September 30.
Before his current assignment, Agrawal was overseeing India’s trade negotiations with various countries under Free Trade Agreements.
Agrawal is an accomplished administrator with three decades of experience in governance, policy making, and implementation across diverse sectors, including skilling, human resource development, apprenticeship, power, fertilizer, agriculture, and MSMEs.
Instrumental in shaping the country’s skill development policies, he represented India at the World Skills Governing Council for three years, and steered sectoral reforms in states such as Manipur, Jharkhand, and Bihar.
He was the Chief Negotiator for the India–US Bilateral Trade Agreement, Indo-Pacific Economic Forum, India–Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), and review of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA).
He was also in charge of export promotion for the agriculture and allied sectors.
Agrawal, a 1994-batch IAS officer from the Manipur cadre, has assumed charge as Commerce Secretary on Wednesday, according to a ministry statement here. He took over from Sunil Barthwal, who retired on September 30.
Before his current assignment, Agrawal was overseeing India’s trade negotiations with various countries under Free Trade Agreements.
Agrawal is an accomplished administrator with three decades of experience in governance, policy making, and implementation across diverse sectors, including skilling, human resource development, apprenticeship, power, fertilizer, agriculture, and MSMEs.
Instrumental in shaping the country’s skill development policies, he represented India at the World Skills Governing Council for three years, and steered sectoral reforms in states such as Manipur, Jharkhand, and Bihar.
He was the Chief Negotiator for the India–US Bilateral Trade Agreement, Indo-Pacific Economic Forum, India–Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), and review of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA).
He was also in charge of export promotion for the agriculture and allied sectors.