JS Deepak removed as telecom secretary

JS DeepakThe India government has removed JS Deepak from the position of telecom secretary and appointed him as India’s permanent representative to World Trade Organization (WTO).

The India government is likely to appoint a new telecom secretary soon. JS Deepak was removed as the telecom secretary at a time when telecom operators are struggling to meet revenue targets due to predatory data pricing by Reliance Jio Infocomm.

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During his earlier stint in the commerce ministry, JS Deepak was India’s chief negotiator at the WTO and for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, the mega Free Trade Agreement being negotiated by 16 countries.

JS Deepak is the 1982 batch IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh.

JS Deepak, who is at present attending the World Mobile Congress (MWC 2017) at Barcelona, has been shifted with “immediate effect” from the telecom ministry and has been made officer on special duty in the commerce department.

JS Deepak will take over his new assignment from June 1, 2017 and till then he will be officer on special duty (OSD) in the Department of Commerce in the Ministry of Commerce and Industries with immediate effect.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued the order on Wednesday night.