New Delhi: Ajit Doval has been reappointed as the National Security Advisor (NSA), while Dr. P.K. Mishra will continue as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, effective from June 10.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved these appointments today.
The government announced that these positions are “co-terminus with the term of the Prime Minister or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” meaning both officials will retain their posts as long as Narendra Modi remains Prime Minister or until further directives are issued.
Both Doval and Mishra will hold the rank of a cabinet minister during their tenure. The committee also approved the reappointment of Amit Khare and Tarun Kapoor as advisors to the Prime Minister for a two-year term starting June 10.
They will serve “in the rank and scale of Secretary to Government of India.”
These appointments highlight the trust Prime Minister Modi places in these officers, particularly Doval and Mishra, who have played significant roles in their respective positions for many years.
Ajit Doval, a former director of the Intelligence Bureau, has been one of the Prime Minister’s most trusted aides since becoming NSA in 2014.
A 1968-batch IPS officer from the Kerala cadre, Doval was the first policeman to receive the Kirti Chakra, the second-highest peacetime gallantry award. As head of the national security establishment, which includes all anti-terror and intelligence outfits, Doval is among the most powerful officers in the country.
Dr. P.K. Mishra took over as the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister in 2019, succeeding Nripendra Misra. A Gujarat cadre IAS officer from the 1972 batch, Mishra previously served as the Additional Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.
He holds a PhD in Economics/Development Studies from the University of Sussex in England.