Centre Names New Chiefs for RAW, CRPF

NEW DELHI : Rajinder Khanna, a 1978-batch Research & Analysis Service (RAS) officer, has been appointed as Secretary, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the country’s premier external spy agency. Another contender for the top post, Arvind Saxena of the same batch, has been shifted to the Aviation Research Centre (ARC), the aviation wing of the RAW.

In another major decision by the government, Prakash Mishra, currently serving as Special Secretary (Internal Security) was appointed as Director General of the CRPF. Mishra, a 1977 batch officer of Odisha cadre was appointed in the Home Ministry earlier in July.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the ACC has approved the appointment of “Rajinder Khanna as Secretary, Research & Analysis Wing, Cabinet Secretariat, for a period of two years from the date of assumption of charge or until further orders, whichever is earlier, by granting extension in service under provisions of FR 56.”

Khanna will be taking over from Alok Joshi, who retires on December 30. Khanna, a seasoned spy also known as leader of the counter-terror wing in RAW, will have a fixed tenure of two years.

However, Arvind Saxena, who has vast experience serving in Pakistan and the US, will be the Director and Ex-Officio Special Secretary of the ARC till August 31, 2015, the date of his superannuation.

According to sources, Ashok Prasad, a 1979-batch IPS officer, currently serving as Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau, is likely to be appointed as Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Home Ministry.

The CRPF is the mainstay for the anti-Naxal operations, and Mishra himself spearheaded the battle when he was DGP of Odisha.

The about 3-lakh personnel force is facing a number of challenges and three committees have been formed by the government in recent past to fine-tune the operational efficacy and modernisation of the paramilitary.