Prior to taking over this post, he was the Additional Secretary in Prime Minister's Office. Bajaj, a 1988 batch IAS officer, replaces Atanu Chakraborty, who retired on Thursday.

The appointment of Bajaj comes at a time when the economy has been facing an unprecedented crisis due to the Covid-19 outbreak, and is expected to grow at just 1.9% in FY21, according to an IMF estimate, or even lower.