Outgoing Secretary of Pharmaceuticals PD Vaghela, a Gujarat-cadre IAS officer of 1986 batch, was on Monday appointed as the Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for three years. Mr. Vaghela, who is superannuating on September 30, will succeed RS Sharma, who was at the helm of the telecom regulator for five years.
As Secretary of the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Mr. Vaghela played a crucial role in the efforts to contain the pandemic. Before he was moved to the Centre as Secretary, Pharmaceuticals, he was Commissioner of commercial taxes in Gujarat. He is among the key officers who played a key role in the rollout of the GST in 2017.
Mr. Vaghela joins Gujarat-cadre bureaucrats heading regulatory posts like PK Pujari, Chairman of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), and GC Murmu, Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
The government also appointed 16 Joint Secretary-level officials in the Central administration.
