Union Home Secretary Ajay K Bhalla granted another one-year extension in service
The latest and the fourth extension comes at a time when the government is dealing with multiple internal security issues such as Manipur unrest, rise of pro-Khalistan elements, among others
The Centre on Friday gave another one year extension to Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla till August 22, 2024, according to a notification issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved extension in service of Ajay Kumar Bhalla, as Home Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs for a further period of one year beyond August 22, 2023 i.e. up to August 22, 2024,” according to a notification issued on Friday.
The officer was to retire from service in November 2020 after his fixed two-year tenure had ended but his term was extended on October 17, 2020 through an order till August 22, 2021.
He was then given two subsequent one-year extensions till August 22 this year.
The latest and the fourth extension comes at a time when the government is dealing with multiple internal security issues such as Manipur unrest, rise of pro-Khalistan elements, among others.
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Bhalla, a 1984-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, was appointed as home secretary in August 2019.
In last few years, the officer has spearheaded government’s schemes related to implementation of Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD); Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill 2022, which authorizes the law enforcement authorities to collect, store and analyse the measurements of all convicts and detained persons including their physical and biological samples such as retina and iris scan; coordinated action against Khalistanis and gangsters in several states, ban on Popular Front of India (PFI) last year.
During his tenure, the home secretary oversaw passage of key and contentious legislations such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Bhalla also oversaw the creation of the Ram Mandir Trust, which is looking after the high-profile project of the construction of the Ram Temple.
Previously, Bhalla held secretarial positions in the ministry of power, ministry of coal and department of commerce, and department of shipping (ports) and also handled various assignments in the cadre in Assam and Meghalaya.
