Former Intelligence Bureau chief
Ajit Doval, considered one of the finest operational brains, was today appointed as National Security Adviser and will assist Prime Minister Narendra Modi on national and international security issues.
The name of 69-year-old Doval, a highly-decorated police officer who retired as Intelligence Bureau Chief in January 2005 as the UPA government delayed the system of implementing two-year term for this post, was cleared by Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by the Prime Minister.
Doval's appointment is second key one by Modi after he assumed charge. The first was that of Nripendra Misra who was appointed as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.
According to the official order, the appointment of Doval,
Takes effect from today and his term will be co-terminus with the term of the Prime Minister or till further orders, whichever is earlier. He replaces Shivshankar Menon.
Widely acclaimed for his topnotch spycraft and expertise in international relations, Doval is the second Indian Police Service officer who has been selected to the post of NSA. The first was M K Narayanan who had a five year tenure from 2005 to 2010 under Prime Miniser Manmohan Singh before he was made Governor of West Bengal.
The post of NSA was created in November 1998 when the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee appointed career diplomat Brajesh Mishra as the first NSA.
As per the mandate, Doval would be advising the Prime Minister on matters relating to internal and external threats to the country and oversees strategic issues.
He will also serve as the Prime Minister's Special Representative on the India-China border question.
Chiefs of Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing will also be reporting to Doval now. After analysing these reports, Doval would brief the Prime Minsiter.
A 1968-batch IPS officer from Kerala cadre, Doval won the police medal for meritorious service after just six years in service instead of the usual 17 years.
His admirers recall fondly the note written by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on his file before clearing his name for the Police medal in which she had said that she wouldn't normally do this, but the circumstances were unusual.
