New Delhi: The government on Monday appointed Ajit Doval as the National Security Advisor (NSA) for a second consecutive term and elevated him to the rank of a Cabinet minister.
The ministry of personnel issued orders of his appointment on Monday following approval by the appointments committee of the Cabinet.
During Mr Doval’s previous tenure as NSA, he held the rank of a minister of state.
Mr Doval, a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Kerala cadre and director of the Intelligence Bureau, is known to be a veteran of intelligence agencies.
His appointment would be for a five-year period with effect from May 31, 2019 and it will be coterminus with the term of the Prime Minister, it said.
Mr Doval, who was appointed as the country’s fifth NSA in May 2014, happens to be the first NSA to be granted a second consecutive term.
During his previous tenure, Mr Doval played a crucial role in planning and executing the surgical strikes after the Uri terror attack as well as the Balakot aerial strikes in the wake of the Pulwama incident.
He also played an important role in formulating strategy on other key security-related issues like containing the impact radicalisation of the youth by terror outfits such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) through social media.
Mr Doval’s efforts to help resolve the 73-day stand-off between India and China at Doklam was also praised among the
international community.
Having retired as chief of the Intelligence Bureau in 2005, Mr Doval also served in the intelligence agency in the Northeast, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.
Mr Doval also played a crucial role as the chief negotiator with the hijackers of Indian Airlines plane IC-814 taken to Kandahar in 1999.
He also has the distinction of being the first IPS officer to be awarded the Kriti Chakra.
