Government appoints 1993 batch IAS officer Poundrik as Heavy Industries Secretary | Today’s news
NEW DELHI: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Friday appointed 1993-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Sandeep Poundrik as Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries, according to an official order.
Poundrik, an IAS officer of the Bihar cadre, has been given the additional charge of the Ministry of Heavy Industries, while he continues to be the Secretary, Ministry of Steel.
Union minister HD Kumaraswamy holds both steel and heavy industries and Poundrik’s new responsibility means he will now run both ministries at secretary level.
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Poundrik’s appointment comes at a time when the Department of Heavy Industry’s critical task will be to ensure the smooth continuation of key electric mobility programs such as ₹$25,938 million of the Automobile and Auto Parts Incentive Program (PLI Auto) a ₹11,900 crore PM E-Drive scheme while ensuring that key advanced chemical cell projects under ₹18,100 million PLI for Advanced Chemistry Cells (PLI ACC) scheme is successfully taking off.
The ministry also oversees operations at state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Bhel), an integral public enterprise in the engineering and infrastructure sector that manufactures power generation equipment, transport and rail equipment, defense and aerospace manufacturing and clean energy products.
The ministry is also responsible for operations ₹1,207 crore Scheme to Enhance Competitiveness in India’s Capital Goods Sector – Phase II, under which the government runs industry accelerators and qualification programs to reduce research and development gaps in the capital goods sector.
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In November 2025, the Ministry of Heavy Industry also launched a ₹7,280 crore incentive package to set up five rare earth magnet plants in the country in the wake of a global shortage of rare earth magnets caused by Chinese export controls in retaliation for steep US tariffs.
Rare earth magnets are made from monazite deposits, of which India is the world’s third largest source. These magnets are made after processing monazite—China controls approximately 60% of the world’s rare earth mining and 90% of the world’s rare earth processing capacity—and these magnets are used in key manufacturing industries such as defense, electronics, renewable energy and automobiles including cleaner electric vehicles.
The PLI Auto and PLI ACC schemes along with PM E-Drive and the Rare Earth Magnet Scheme are critical to India’s progress towards the country’s goal of becoming a net carbon emitter by 2070.
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The government has promoted the deployment of 1.1 million electric vehicles – 811,357 electric two-wheelers, 2,168 electric rickshaws (L3 category), 288,508 electric three-wheelers (L5 category) and 155 electric trucks – under the PM E-Drive scheme. The government has also sanctioned 14,000 e-buses under this scheme through tenders issued by Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL).
Under the PLI Auto program, the government paid out ₹2,386.86 crore by the end of FY26, with the scheme set to pay incentives for production of zero-emission vehicles by FY29. Currently, eight vehicle manufacturers and 10 component manufacturers are eligible for incentives under the scheme.
The PLI ACC scheme, which aims to create 50 GWh of cell manufacturing capacity in the country, has seen delays in capacity creation, with only 1 GWh of the allocated 40 GWh installed by March 2026. The government subsequently revised Ola Electric’s schedule, allowing it to access incentives for its 20 GWh capacity by 2031, an additional tranche15 was allocated to Reli. GWh capacity.
The ministry did not provide the same benefits to Bengaluru-based Rajesh Exports, which was allotted 5 GWh of capacity in 2022, citing allegations of false financial information regarding ₹15 trillion directed against the company by India’s securities regulator in June this year.
A further 10 GWh of capacity under the scheme, earmarked for grid energy storage services, is yet to be allocated. In July, a tender was announced for the same.
