Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reappointed top two bureaucrats in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO): Nripendra Misra as Principal Secretary and P.K. Mishra as Additional Principal Secretary, assigning them Cabinet rank.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Mr. Modi cleared their reappointments in their posts but assigned them the status of Cabinet Minister.
Doval reappointed
Earlier, National Security Adviser Ajit Kumar Doval was also reappointed and given Cabinet rank.
As per the notification issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), their appointment is co-terminus with that of the Prime Minister or until further orders.
Both were appointed in the PMO in 2014 when Mr. Modi took over following the BJP’s landslide victory in the general election.
Division of work
In the PMO, Nripendra Misra looks after the policy related matters and coordinates with various ministries and departments while as additional Principal Secretary, P.K. Mishra looks after crucial task of appointments in the administration.
Before his appointment in the PMO, Mr. Nripendra Misra was with the RSS-linked Vivekanand Foundation. Earlier, he served as Secretary in the government and was subsequently made Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India while Dr. P.K. Mishra retired as Union Agriculture Secretary in 2008 and then served as Chairman of the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Dr. P.K. Mishra also served as Principal Secretary to Mr. Modi during his tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat. Dr. P.K. Mishra was his Principal Secretary from 2001 to 2004 before he proceeded on Central deputation.
Speculations galore
Earlier, there was speculation that Mr. Modi might bring in a new face in the top post in the PMO. But with the reappointment of all three top bureaucratic positions in the PMO, Mr. Modi has put to rest all speculations regarding any reshuffle in the PMO.
After winning a landslide re-election, the Prime Minister, in a bid to give continuity in the administration, granted extension of three months each to Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra and Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha. In the case of the Defence Secretary, his two-year tenure was to end on May 31 but was given extension till August.
Similarly, Cabinet Secretary Mr. P.K. Sinha’s extended tenure was further extended for three months, making him the largest serving top bureaucrat in the country. Mr. Sinha was appointed Cabinet Secretary in 2015 for two years and since then he has been given extension by the government.
