The Union Government recently appointed IAS Sandeep Poundrik as the new Steel Secretary of India. Officer Poundrik was last posted as the Additional Chief Secretary in the Industries Department and also held additional charges of several other positions in the Bihar government. Mr. Poundrik is a 1993-batch Bihar cadre IAS officer.
Mr. Poundrik, a seasoned bureaucrat, had previously served as an advisor in the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under the Ministry of Home Affairs and as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. His experience working with various public sector undertakings (PSUs) has led to his appointment as Steel Secretary.
Previously, the additional charge of the Steel Ministry was held by Mr. Subhash Chandra Lal Das (1992-batch IAS officer), the Secretary of the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME), which will be taken over by IAS Sandeep Poundrik.
Since Officer Poundrik is assuming the role of India’s fixed Steel Secretary, there is an expectation that several important projects of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) will receive ministry approval, and other work processes will accelerate. The bureaucrat has been associated with international organizations like the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and The World Bank and has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s in Public Administration in International Development from Harvard University.
