Monday, January 22, 2018

1977 batch retired IAS OP Rawat is new Chief Election Commissioner; ex-finance secretary Ashok Lavasa is made EC; 10 Things to Know

IN TWO major appointments announced on Sunday evening, 1977 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre retired IAS and current Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat was appointed as Chief Election Commissioner of India while another retired IAS — Ashok Lavasa who till October last year was the union finance secretary, was made Election Commissioner. Lavasa’s batchmate (1980 batch retired IAS) Sunil Arora is already an Election Commissioner. Here are the 10 things you may like to know about Rawat and Lavasa:

OP Rawat, CEC Designate
1. A 1977 batch retired IAS of Madhya Pradesh cadre, Rawat retired as secretary in the department of public enterprises (DPE) in 1913. 
2. He joined the Election Commission on August 14, 2015 as Election Commissioner, and will assume charge as the CEC on Tuesday.
3. An MSc in physics from Benaras Hindu University, he was first selected as an Indian Forest Service officer before becoming an IAS.
4. In 2010, he with his team was chosen for the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence for the contribution in establishing forest rights among the tribals of Madhya Pradesh. 
5. He has two daughters, both settled abroad; Rawat is a vegetarian. 

Ashok Lavasa, EC Designate
6. A 1980 batch retired Haryana cadre IAS, Lavasa served as the union civil aviation secretary, environment secretary, and then expenditure secretary. He retired as union finance secretary on October 31, 2017. 
7. An MA in English from the University of Delhi, he is also an MBA from an Australian institute. 
8. Lavasa originally belongs to Rajasthan, and is fluent in Gujarati besides English and Hindi.
9. He is passionate about photography, river rafting and tracking, and held a number of photo exhibitions. He also authored a book, “An Uncivil Servant”, published by Rupa in 2006.
10. Lavasa is likely to be the CEC in April 2021 when Sunil Arora gets retired and will continue as CEC till October 2022, if the elevation is done, keeping the seniority in mind.

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