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Ajit Doval began his second term as the National Security Advisor with an elevated stature equivalent to that of a Union Cabinet minister, according to an official order made public .
A 1968-batch IPS officer who retired as Intelligence Bureau chief in 2005, Doval’s appointment is the first key posting announced by the Narendra Modi government after assuming office for a second term on 30 May.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment for a five-year period with effect from May 31, 2019 and it will be co-terminus with the term of the prime minister, the order said. “During the term of his office, he will be assigned the rank of Cabinet Minister,” the order said.
This makes Doval, 74, as the first NSA who has been appointed for two consecutive terms. He was appointed to the post on 30 May, 2014 and he was given a stature that of a Minister of State sometime in September that year after the Chinese side insisted for ministerial-level talks.
