Tarun Kapoor appointed advisor to PM Modi

New Delhi: The government on Monday announced the appointment of retired bureaucrat Tarun Kapoor as advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with several other changes in the top brass of various departments, according to orders from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).

Kapoor, a 1987 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), who retired as petroleum secretary last year, has extensive experience at central and state levels including as vice-chairman of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and as additional chief secretary in the government of Himachal Pradesh. He had also served in the ministry of new and renewable energy looking after the national solar mission.

ACC said in its order that Kapoor’s term as PM’s advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is in the rank and scale of secretary to the government of India and is initially for a period of two years from his date of joining.

The ACC also appointed Han Ranjan Rao, currently serving as administrator of the universal services obligation fund in the department of telecommunications and Atish Chandra, currently serving as CMD in the Food Corporation of India as additional secretaries in the PMO for the balance tenure of their central deputation. Both are IAS officers of the 1994 batch.

The ACC also appointed Pradip Kumar Tripathi, currently serving as secretary in the department of personnel and training as secretary, (coordination) in the cabinet secretariat. S. Radha Chauhan will succeed him as secretary in the department of personnel and training.

Neel Kamal Darbari, currently serving as Managing Director of Small Farmers‘ Agri-Business Consortium under the department of agriculture and farmers welfare has been appointed as Chairperson of the National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention in the rank of secretary to the government of India.

Devendra Kumar Singh, currently secretary in the ministry of cooperation has been appointed as secretary general, National Human Rights Commission in the rank and pay of secretary to the government of India. Gyanesh Kumar, secretary in the ministry of Parliamentary affairs has been appointed as secretary in the ministry of Cooperation.

The government also appointed Alkesh Kumar Sharma, serving as secretary (Coordination), in Cabinet Secretariat as secretary in the ministry of electronics and information technology. Sanjay Kumar has been appointed as secretary in the department of youth affairs, while S.K.G. Rahate, additional secretary in the ministry of power has been appointed as secretary in the department of justice.