NEW DELHI: Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha has been given one more extension by the Modi government on Monday. In 2015, he was appointed as the top civil servant post for a fixed tenure of two years before he got a one-year extension in 2017.
An order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Monday said that the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved his extension to the top post till June 12 next year.
Sinha’s extension is significant and surprising as recently the government did not extend the tenure of foreign secretary S Jaishankar in January. His extension is also significant as the current government is scheduled to complete its term by next year and Lok Sabha polls is expected in early 2019.
Cabinet secretary is said to be the topmost bureaucratic post of the country as he works closely with the PM and is also empowered to coordinate with other ministries. Moreover, he also plays important role in the appointment of senior officials in ministries and government departments.
Sinha is a 1977 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre Indian Administrative Service officer. He has been serving as secretary, Ministry of Power, since July 2013. He has earlier served as secretary in the Ministry of Shipping and has held several other important positions in the Union government and in Uttar Pradesh.