 "1989-batch IAS officer Rajesh Kumar Singh takes over as Defence Secretary")
Senior bureaucrat Rajesh Kumar Singh took over as defence secretary on Friday, a release by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced.
A 1989-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Kerala cadre, Singh assumed charge at the South Block in New Delhi, where the MoD is housed.
He succeeds Giridhar Aramane, a 1988-batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, who superannuated on Thursday. Singh had assumed charge as the officer on special duty (defence secretary-designate) on August 20, 2024.
Before taking charge, Singh laid a wreath and paid homage to the fallen heroes of the armed forces at the National War Memorial in the national capital. "The nation will remain forever indebted to our brave soldiers who make the supreme sacrifice in the service of the motherland. Their extraordinary bravery and sacrifice are a source of strength and inspiration for us to make India a safe and prosperous nation," he said, as quoted by the MoD release.
Prior to his role at the MoD, Singh held the post of secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, from April 24, 2023, to August 20, 2024.
Before that, he was secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
Singh has also held other key positions in the Union government, including director of works and urban transport in the Ministry of Urban Development; commissioner (lands) in the Delhi Development Authority; joint secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas; joint secretary in the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare; and chief vigilance officer in the Food Corporation of India, said the MoD statement.
He has also served as urban development secretary and finance secretary in the Kerala government.
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