P K Sinha named Cabinet secretary

The 1977 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS succeeds Ajit Seth, who had got three extensions as cabinet secretary

Power Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha (pictured) has been named the next Cabinet secretary. The 1977 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre will succeed Ajit Seth, who was given three extensions, the last by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in December last year, making his term one of four years.

Sinha will take charge as Cabinet secretary on June 13. Till then, he will be Officer on Special Duty in the Cabinet Secretariat. Sinha’s tenure as Cabinet secretary is for two years or until further orders in this regard.

Finance Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, a 1978 batch Rajasthan-cadre IAS officer, was also believed to be in consideration. Mehrishi replaced Arvind Mayaram as finance secretary a few months after the NDA government came to power. Earlier, Saurabh Chandra, a 1978 batch IAS officer from the UP cadre, who recently retired as petroleum secretary, was seen as a favourite for the post.

Speaking to Business Standard last year, a civil servant had said as chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi didn’t overlook seniority.

“If that’s the case, Sinha might stand a better chance than Chandra,” he had said. While Sinha is a year senior in the bureaucratic hierarchy, he’s three months younger to Chandra by age.

Sinha studied economics at St Stephen’s College here and subsequently, pursued an MPhil degree in social sciences. Known as a performance-oriented officer, he has been power secretary since July 2013. Earlier, he was secretary in the shipping ministry. He has also held several other important positions in the central and Uttar Pradesh governments. A man of few words, he was short-listed for the post of chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

Sinha’s appointment comes ahead of the post of Cabinet secretary falling vacant on June 13. Some statutory organisations, such as the Central Vigilance Commission and the Central Information Commission have remained without a head for months.