Dr M.K. Bhan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, has taken over the additional charge as Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, for a period of three months with effect from January 5, 2007.

Dr Bhan's appointment comes in the wake of the approval by the appointments committee of the cabinet, after Dr V Prakash, Director, Central Food Technological Research Institute of CSIR, who was earlier selected to succeed Dr R A Mashelkar, expressed his inability to join on medical grounds. Dr Mashelkar retired on December 31, 2006 .

Dr Bhan, a well-known paediatrics scientist, was a professor of paediatrics and chief, Paediatric-Gastroenterology and Nutrition at AIIMS. He took over the reins of the Department of Biotechnology in March 2004. As the Secretary, DBT, he has been instrumental in developing the National Biotechnology Draft Strategy, which in its final shape will provide an impetus to the Indian biotech industry, fine-tune human resource development, synergize biotech research, facilitate industry-academia partnership and encourage biotech trade.