Amardeep Singh Bhatia Takes Charge as DPIIT Secretary Amidst Decline in FDI

Amardeep Singh Bhatia has assumed the role of Secretary in DPIIT, replacing Rajesh Kumar Singh. Bhatia, previously an Additional Secretary in the Commerce Department, has held numerous important positions in central and state government ministries. He steps in during a period of declining FDI, with DPIIT aiming to ease foreign investment procedures.

Senior IAS officer Amardeep Singh Bhatia has taken over as Secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), according to an official statement on Wednesday.

Bhatia succeeds Rajesh Kumar Singh, who has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty in the Department of Defence. Prior to this, Bhatia, a 1993 batch officer from the Nagaland cadre, served as Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce, where he was involved in trade policies and free trade agreement negotiations.

Throughout his career, Bhatia has held significant positions in various central government ministries, including Corporate Affairs and Health and Family Welfare. In the state government, he has managed departments such as Planning and Coordination, Health and Family Welfare, Environment and Forest, Municipalities and Local Self Government, and Home.

DPIIT, part of the commerce and industry ministry, is responsible for overseeing foreign direct investment (FDI) policy, startups, ease of doing business, internal trade, and the rapidly growing e-commerce sector. Bhatia takes on his new role at a challenging time, as the country's FDI has declined by 3.49% to USD 44.42 billion in 2023-24 due to global uncertainties. The department aims to further simplify FDI procedures to attract more overseas investments.

(With inputs from agencies.)