ET NEWS

LONDON: OPEC ⁠oil output plunged in March to its lowest level since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020, a Reuters survey found, as the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran effectively closed ⁠the Strait ‌of Hormuz and forced export cuts. Crude output by Organization of ⁠the Petroleum Exporting Countries members in March fell by 7.3 million barrels per day month-on-month to 21.57 million bpd, the survey showed, led by cuts in Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United ‌Arab Emirates. Only two OPEC nations - Venezuela and Nigeria - raised output during the month, the ⁠survey found. The Reuters survey is based on flow data from financial group LSEG, information from other companies that track flows, such as Kpler, and information provided by sources at oil companies, OPEC and consultants.

New Delhi, Senior bureaucrat Vir Vikram Yadav has been appointed as the chief of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) as part of a senior-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre on Tuesday.Yadav, a 1996 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Odisha cadre, succeeds incumbent Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, who has now been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).Yadav is an Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.Kidwai, a 1996 batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, was appointed DGCA chief in January last year.Twenty-five civil servants have been appointed in various central government departments at the level of additional secretaries in Tuesday's rejig.Senior IAS officer Puneet Kansal has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation while Vishal Gagan will be Secretary, Central Information Commission (CIC), an order issued by the Personnel Ministry said.Gyanendra D Tripathi, a 1998 batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Secretary, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).Sridhar Chiruvolu, Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), has been appointed as Additional Secretary at the same place.Ansuman Pattanaik, Director General, Competition Commission of India, will be Additional Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, the order said.N Gulzar, Additional Secretary in the Department of Telecommunications, has been appointed as Member Secretary, National Capital Region Planning Board, while Diwakar Nath Misra will be Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power and Debasish Prusty will be the new Additional Secretary, Department of Financial Services.Arti Kanwar has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Darpan Jain as Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, and Ankita Mishra Bundela as Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.Lokhande Prashant Sitaram and Anuj Sharma have been appointed as additional secretaries in the Home Affairs Ministry.Gujarat-cadre IAS officer Vijay Nehra has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Siddharth Jain as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, and Neetu Kumari Prasad as Additional Secretary, Department of Revenue, the order said.Meenaxi Rawat will be Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Yashvir Singh will be Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, and Hari Har Mishra will be Additional Secretary, Department of Financial Services.Veena Kumari Dermal has been named Additional Secretary in the Mines Ministry while Aparna Bhatia will be Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.