File photo of Nripendra Misra
Nripendra Misra, a 1967-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS official who retired five years ago as the chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), has been named as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.
Mr Misra's elevation to the high-profile post, which acts as the interface between the Prime Minister and his government, is first of the big-ticket appointments made by the Modi government. Mr Pulok Chatterjee, another UP cadre IAS official, served as Principal Secretary to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the period 2011-14. Mr Chatterjee, known for his proximity to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, belongs to the 1974 batch. He replaced TKA Nair, who held the post from 2004-2011.
Mr Misra, interestingly, had served as Principal Secretary to Kalyan Singh during his first stint as the UP chief minister.
As the new government takes charge, it has started filling key posts. One such assignment, that of the National Security Adviser, is set to be occupied by former Intelligence Bureau director Ajit Kumar Doval.
A highly decorated 1968-batch Kerala cadre IPS officer, Mr Doval retired as the Intelligence Bureau director in 2005. He presently heads the Vivekanand International Foundation, a right-wing think-tank that operates from the capital.
Senior Supreme Court lawyer Mukul Rohatgi is the frontrunner in the race to become the Attorney General of India under the new dispensation. He was the additional Solicitor General during the Vajpayee government. Another senior lawyer, Ranjit Kumar is said to be in the reckoning for the post of Solicitor General, the country's second most important law officer's post.