NEW DELHI: Sanjeev Kumar Singla, a 1997-batch IFS Officer, has been appointed as the Private Secretary (PS) to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He would succeed Vikram Misri, who would take charge as India’s Ambassador to Spain.
Singla, currently a political counsellor at the Indian Mission in Tel Aviv, is a director-rank officer, whose last home posting was as director in the Foreign Secretary’s Office till mid-2013. Express had first reported about the move to appoint Singla as PS to PM on July 16.
His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) said an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Saturday.
Misri, a 1989 batch IFS officer, who was appointed Ambassador to Spain in April, had served as the PS to former PM Manmohan Singh. He would continue as PS till July 31 for “overlap purposes”, the order said.
Misri had joined the Prime Minister’s Office in 2010 as a Joint Secretary and in 2012 became the PS to former PM.
The ACC also approved the appointment of private secretaries to Ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and M Venkaiah Naidu.
Hardeep Singh, a 1990 batch Indian Trade Service officer, has been appointed the PS to Badal, Minister for Food Processing Industries. Hardeep is now with the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
While, S Suresh Kumar, a 2000 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as PS to Naidu, Union Minister for Urban Development. Kumar is presently working in his parent cadre.