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Journalism of Courage
In the most high-profile change in the Finance Ministry since P Chidambaram moved in,R S Gujral has been eased out as Revenue Secretary. Expenditure Secretary Sumit Bose will head revenue now.
The change comes after a series of decisions by the Prime Ministers Office withdrawing all controversial tax initiatives taken by the Revenue Department under Gujral when Pranab Mukherjee was the finance minister.
While Gujral still remains Finance Secretary,much of the effective decision-making in North Block will now be with Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram,who assumed office on August 1.
Interestingly,when Chidambaram met his secretaries today for a briefing ahead of the Parliament session,Gujral was not present.
The decision indicates that Chidambaram wants to give a major push to passage of the GST Bill as well as to lending the tax policy a long-range orientation. The process had run aground in the wake of the 2008 global crisis and moves by the tax department to spread its wings.
Chidambaram has now made changes in all the key departments of the Finance Ministry except disinvestment,headed by M Halim Khan.
