Piyush Goyal New Mines Secretary

New Delhi, Sep 4 (PTI) IAS officer Piyush Goyal on Thursday assumed the charge as the new mines secretary.

Goyal's new role will be challenging as India's mining sector is facing challenges and opportunities, particularly the growing demand for critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements. These minerals are vital for the global energy transition, powering EVs, RE technologies and advanced manufacturing. Securing a stable supply of these resources will be key to India's self-reliance and net-zero goals.

Goyal is a 1994-batch officer of the Nagaland cadre.

Prior to this assignment, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of NATGRID under Ministry of Home Affairs, according to an official statement.

Goyal succeeds V L Kantha Rao, who is currently serving as Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.