New Delhi: A year and a half after he was appointed Principal Advisor to the Prime Minister, retired IAS officer P.K. Sinha has resigned from the PMO, sources have told ThePrint.
There is a possibility that Sinha could be considered by the Narendra Modi government for a constitutional post, such as lieutenant governor of Delhi or Puducherry, sources said, adding that he resigned citing “personal reasons”.
Before joining the PMO, Sinha, a 1977-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre officer, was the only one in the history of the IAS to get three extensions as cabinet secretary, the top cadre post of the service.
Subsequently, the new position of Principal Advisor to the PM was especially created to accommodate Sinha in the PMO. He oversaw policy issues and matters relating to all ministries/departments/agencies/bodies, except those specifically allocated to Principal Secretary P.K. Mishra and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
But unlike Mishra and Doval, Sinha was not given cabinet rank. Sources said Sinha continued to work without an official rank through his tenure in the PMO.
Sinha’s resignation comes months after another high-profile exit — additional secretary A.K. Sharma had quit to join the Uttar Pradesh BJP.
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Sinha’s highlights under Modi govt
Prior to 2014, Sinha had no experience of working with Prime Minister Modi during his years as the Gujarat chief minister. Sinha had handled three key ministries under the UPA’s 10-year reign, but was retained by the Modi government as the power secretary for over a year after it came to power in 2014.
During the first year of the Modi government, under Sinha, the power ministry saw a record 22,566 MW capacity addition, and the highest-ever increase in both transmission line and sub-station capacities.
During his years as the cabinet secretary, he was instrumental in formulating the Goods and Services Tax (GST) law, sensitising state officials about its functioning, and working closely with finance officials.
(Edited by Shreyas Sharma)
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Not running, either he will contest elections or will held a constitutional post.
Running away in difficult times.