Raj Kumar Singh, a 1975 batch Bihar cadre IAS officer, is all set to be the country’s next home secretary succeeding G.K. Pillai who retires on June 30.
Singh’s name was cleared by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday and a formal notification on his appointment as the new home secretary will be issued soon, official sources said.
Singh, currently secretary, defence production, in the ministry of defence, had last week appeared before home minister P. Chidambaram for an interview, along with a few others including Punjab chief secretary S.C. Aggarwal.
Singh had met defence minister A.K. Antony on Monday and expressed his desire to move into the high-profile post in the north block.
Sources said the defence minister readily accepted the request of Singh and assured him that he would be relieved from the present assignment once a formal decision is taken by the government.
Singh, who had earlier served in the home ministry as a joint secretary for about five years, will have a fixed two-year tenure.
Pillai, a 1972 batch Kerala cadre IAS officer, took charge as home secretary in June 2009 — seven months after the Mumbai terror attack — and oversaw the complete overhaul of the country’s security establishment.