New Delhi: Jammu & Kashmir Chief Secretary B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, an IAS officer of the 1987 batch, is likely to be appointed the next home secretary as the Modi government looks to resolve the problems, including militancy, stalking the Valley, ThePrint has learnt.
The two-year term of incumbent Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, an IAS officer of the 1982 batch who took over the post in August 2017, is set to end soon. An order to this effect is expected by next week.
“The orders for the current home secretary will be out by next week and his successor will most likely be the Jammu and Kashmir chief secretary,” said a source in the Ministry of Home Affairs, which now has BJP president Amit Shah at the helm.
“The reason is that the government now wants to focus more on resolving the Kashmir issue… With the series of meetings that were held after Amit Shah took over as home minister, it appears that Kashmir is on top of the government’s priority list and an expert on the issues in Kashmir is more likely to be picked for the post of home secretary,” the source added.
“The growing militancy in the Valley needs to be controlled, an election has to be carried out, and more outreach programmes for the youths have to be started,” the source said, “This is what the government will be focusing on in the coming days.”
An experienced Kashmir hand
Subrahmanyam, a Chhattisgarh-cadre IAS officer, has earlier served as adviser to Jammu & Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra. As additional chief secretary (home) in Chhattisgarh, he is credited with charting and overseeing the state police’s ongoing crackdown on the Maoist insurgency.
As reported by ThePrint in June 2018, when he became J&K Chief Secretary, his appointment to the post was seen as a signal that the Modi government sought to adopt a muscular policy in the state.
A graduate in mechanical engineering and management from London Business School, he has also served as director in the union commerce ministry, and was subsequently appointed private secretary to the Prime Minister from 2004-2008. He also worked as a senior adviser with the World Bank between 2008 and 2012.
Two others in the race
Other possible contenders for the post of home secretary are I&B Secretary Amit Khare and C.K. Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.
Mishra, a 1983-batch IAS officer from Bihar, has led Indian negotiations at forums such as United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Currently, he is working on pollution-control strategies for India, including Delhi. He is also the administrative head for forest and wildlife conservation efforts in India.
Prior to this, he served as secretary in the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, while briefly holding the additional charge of Ministry of AYUSH.
Khare is an IAS officer of the 1985-batch from Jharkhand. Apart from his stint at the I&B ministry, he has served as principal secretary, Finance and Planning Department, in Jharkhand. His career has spanned tenures in the Department of Pharmaceuticals (Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers) and Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Human Resource Development).
Also read: Kashmir MP to seek help of NDA, UPA friends to save J&K special status
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