The government appointed Mr. S. Sundareshan as the new Petroleum Secretary on Thursday. An official release says, Sundareshan, who currently is Special Secretary in the ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, will assume office on 1st of February. <br/><br/>He replaces R S Pandey who retires from service after attaining superannuation on 31st of this month. A 1976 batch IAS officer from the Kerala Cadre, he has held important economic portfolios during his career spanning over three decades.