Finance Secy Diprava Lakra assumes charge

Punjab cadre IAS officer Diprava Lakra, 2005 batch, today assumed charge of the UT Finance Secretary. He has also been assigned the charge of Secretary, Estate, Treasury and Accounts/Local Fund Audit, Secretary Planning, Statistics, Transport, Labour and Employment, Housing and Chief Administrator.

Before joining the Chandigarh Administration, Lakra has served as Punjab Finance Secretary, Bathinda DC and Jalandhar MC Commissioner.

The post of the UT Finance Secretary fell vacant on June 18 after the tenure of Vijay Namdeorao Zade ended. Zade, a 2002-batch Punjab-cadre IAS officer, joined the UT Administration in May 2021 for a three-year tenure. His term was extended by one month in May 2024 due to the Lok Sabha elections.

UT Home Secretary Mandip Singh Brar was today given the additional charge of Secretary Tourism, while Secretary Industries Hargunjit Kaur will continue to hold the positions of Special Secretary, Finance and Engineering, Director Treasury and Accounts, Planning and Statistics, and Local Bodies Department.