NEW DELHI: Senior Indian Administrative Service officer Bimal Julka, who is presently Special Secretary and Financial Advisor in the External Affairs Ministry, is to take over as Secretary in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

He will succeed Uday Kumar Varma, who is retiring at June-end after serving two different terms in the Ministry: first as Additional Secretary and later as Secretary.

With the third phase of FM about to enter the crucial e-auction stage, and the government drawing up a scheme to financially help the community radio sector, Julka will have some immediate tasks ahead of him.

Julka is an IAS officer from the 1979 batch of the Madhya Pradesh cadre. Varma was also from the Madhya Pradesh cadre from the 1976 batch.

A post-graduate in psychology Julka has had an exposure to various ministries from Textiles to Defence and Finance. Along with several others who had become due for promotion as Secretary, he was promoted as special secretary for want of a posting in January of this year.