The Finance Secretary of India is the senior-most Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and plays a key role in shaping the country’s economic and fiscal policies. The Finance Secretary coordinates among different departments such as Economic Affairs, Expenditure, Revenue, Financial Services, and Investment & Public Asset Management.
Name | Duration (Start – End) | Prime Minister |
Ajay Seth | 24 March 2025 – 30 June 2025 | Narendra Modi |
Tuhin Kanta Pandey | 7 September 2024 – 28 February 2025 | Narendra Modi |
T. V. Somanathan | 28 April 2021 – 30 August 2024 | Narendra Modi |
Ajay Bhushan Pandey | 3 March 2020 – 28 February 2021 | Narendra Modi |
Rajiv Kumar | August 2019 – 29 February 2020 | Narendra Modi |
Subhash Chandra Garg | March 2019 – July 2019 | Narendra Modi |
Ajay Narayan Jha | 2018 – February 2019 | Narendra Modi |
Hasmukh Adhia | 2017 – 2018 | Narendra Modi |
Ashok Lavasa | 2016 – 2017 | Narendra Modi |
Vijay L. Kelkar | 1998 – 1999 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
Montek Singh Ahluwalia | 1993 – 1998 | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
N. C. Sen Gupta | 1975 | Indira Gandhi |
M. R. Yardi | 1972 – 1974 | Indira Gandhi |
B. D. Pande | 1969 – 1972 | Indira Gandhi |
Sarukkai Jagannathan | 1967 – 1968 | Indira Gandhi |
Lakshmi Kant Jha | 1964 – 1966 | Lal Bahadur Shastri |
S. Bhoothalingam | 1960 – 1964 | Jawaharlal Nehru |
A. K. Roy | 1958 – 1960 | Jawaharlal Nehru |
Hirubhai M. Patel | 1955 – 1958 | Jawaharlal Nehru |
K. G. Ambegaonkar | 1954 – 1955 | Jawaharlal Nehru |
K. R. K. Menon | 1947 – 1954 | Jawaharlal Nehru |
The current Finance Secretary of India (as per the latest update) is Ajay Seth, who served in 2025.
K. R. K. Menon was the first Finance Secretary of India and served from 1947 to 1954.
The Finance Secretary coordinates all departments of the Ministry of Finance and plays a key role in economic policy, Union Budget preparation, and fiscal administration.
Yes, the Finance Secretary is usually a senior IAS officer appointed by the Government of India.
The Finance Secretary is appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) based on seniority and experience.
The Finance Minister is a political executive and cabinet member, while the Finance Secretary is a senior bureaucrat responsible for administrative and policy coordination within the Ministry of Finance.

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