<h1>Senior IAS officer assumes charge as Secretary, Department of Commerce overseeing Customs, DGFT and SEZ matters</h1> A senior IAS officer has assumed charge as Secretary of the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, effective 1 October 2025, with responsibility for Customs, DGFT and SEZ matters. The appointee brings roughly three decades of administrative and policy experience across skilling, HR development, apprenticeship, power, fertilizer, agriculture and MSME sectors, and has led state-level sectoral reforms. In the trade portfolio, the official previously oversaw FTA negotiations, served as chief negotiator in major bilateral and regional trade talks and handled export-promotion initiatives for agriculture and allied sectors.