Ajit Doval reappointed NSA, P K Mishra to continue as principal secretary to PM
New Delhi, Jun 13: Spymaster Ajit Doval and seasoned bureaucrat P K Mishra were on Thursday re-appointed to the post of National Security Adviser and principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a fresh five-year term.
Both Doval and Mishra worked on their respective crucial posts during the last two tenures of the governments headed by Modi.
With the fresh appointment, Doval has become the first NSA to be appointed to the key post for three consecutive terms.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the two appointments with effect from June 10, 2024, the Personnel Ministry said.
Their appointment "will be co-terminus with the term of the prime minister or until further orders whichever is earlier", it said in identical orders.
Both Doval and Mishra will be assigned the rank of Cabinet Minister in the Table of Precedence and terms and conditions of their appointment will be notified separately, the ministry said.
Doval, who belongs to the 1968 batch of Indian Police Service, retired as Intelligence Bureau chief in 2005. He was appointed as the NSA for the first time on May 30, 2014, and re-appointed for another term on May 31, 2019.
During his first tenure, Doval is believed to have played a pivotal role in the surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after the Uri terror attack.
He has also been widely hailed for his contribution to the national security domain, including his role during the Balakot air strike after the Pulwama terror attack, officials said.
Doval was one of the main negotiators from India with the hijackers of Indian Airlines plane IC-814 taken to Kandahar in 1999.
He worked with the IB for more than 33 years in different roles and in areas including the Northeast, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab. He served in the United Kingdom as well.
Another key officer, Mishra has held various key positions at the Centre and in the Gujarat government.
He served as Additional Principal Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in Modi's first term as the Prime Minister from 2014 to 2019.
Mishra, a 1972 batch retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Gujarat cadre, was re-appointed to the same post with effect from May 31, 2019, during Modi's second term.
He was in September 2019 appointed as the principal secretary to the PM. His term was on a co-terminus basis with Modi's tenure.
Mishra had served between 2001 and 2004 as the principal secretary to Modi when he was the Gujarat chief minister.
A veteran bureaucrat, he was the secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture between December 1, 2006 and August 31, 2008.
After his retirement, Mishra was appointed the chairman of the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission for a five-year term.
Meanwhile, the ACC has also approved the reappointment of former Indian Administrative Service officers Amit Khare and Tarun Kapoor as advisers to the PM for two years with effect from June 10, 2024.
Khare, a 1985 batch retired IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre, was in October 2021 appointed as adviser to Modi.
Kapoor, a 1987 batch retired IAS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, was named as the adviser in May 2022.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
