The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has appointed Pradeep Kumar Sinha as cabinet secretary, according to a press release. His appointment is effective from June 13, 2015.
Sinha will replace Ajit Seth, a 1974 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, who got an extension for six months in December 2014 in his role as cabinet secretary.
Seth had taken over as cabinet secretary on June 14, 2011 with a tenure up to June 13, 2013, which was extended by a year by the former UPA government. In June 2014, the Modi-government again provided a six-month extension to Seth and he was due to retire on December 14.
Till now, Sinha was secretary, Ministry of Power. He was appointed in July 2013 and succeeded P Uma Shanker.
Singh is a 1977 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, and was secretary in the Ministry of Shipping before being shifted to the Ministry of Power. Previously, he has served as special secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Fifty-nine-year-old Sinha has held various roles in the departments like irrigation, urban development and planning in the UP cadre.
The cabinet secretariat is under the direct charge of the prime minister. The administrative head of the secretariat is the cabinet secretary who is also the ex-officio chairman of the Civil Services Board.
The cabinet secretariat assists in decision-making in the government by ensuring inter-ministerial coordination and ironing out differences among ministries or departments.
