In a significant development that underlines continuity of the government’s policies on matters related to security, strategy, and governance, the Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet on Thursday announced the appointment of Ajit Doval, 79, as the country’s National Security Adviser.
Assigned the rank of Cabinet Minister in the Table of Precedence, the appointment will be co-terminus with the term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A former Director of the Intelligence Bureau, the country’s internal security intelligence agency, Doval is a 1968 batch IPS officer who has shown his acumen in all aspects related to security.
The committee also announced the appointment of P.K. Mishra, 75, as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister which will also be co-terminus with the PM’s term.
Mishra is a 1978 batch IAS officer.
In effect, if the government lasts the full five year term, the appointments are for five years.
On the development, a top source in the establishment said with the country at a ‘take-off stage’ the government may have thought it prudent to continue with the experienced hands. It also shows the trust the PM has on these officials.
The official release also extended the tenures of Amit Khare and Tarun Kapoor as advisors to the PM in the Prime Minister's Office, in the rank and scale of Secretary to Government of India, for a period of two years.
While Khare is a 1985 batch IAS officer, Kapoor is a 1987 batch officer from the same service.
With the PMO and NSA’s office becoming the central pivots on which the governance and administration of the country operated during the last two terms of the BJP-led NDA government, these are sure-shot signals that the PMO will continue to call the shots.