The Central Government has appointed senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Govind Mohan as Union Home Secretary. This information has been given in a circular issued by the Department of Personnel and Training on Wednesday. Mohan will take charge on August 22, replacing the current Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla. He is currently the Secretary of the Ministry of Culture. Bhalla’s term ends on the same day.
The circular said that the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Govind Mohan, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, as Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Home Affairs with immediate effect. Officer on Special Duty Mohan will take over as Home Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs on August 22, replacing Ajay Kumar Bhalla, whose term is ending on the same day. Ajay Kumar Bhalla was appointed Union Home Secretary in August 2019. He held this post for five years.
Who is Govind Mohan?
Govind Mohan is a 1984 batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre. He has studied electrical engineering from BHU-IIT Varanasi. He has previously worked for two terms in the Home Ministry. Govind Mohan was coordinating the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign. He is going to turn 59 next month.
Just last month, under his leadership, India and the US signed the first cultural property agreement. These agreements have been made to stop illegal smuggling of property and return ancient objects to their original place. Mohan’s appointment is considered important in view of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir in the coming months.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Wednesday also announced the name of the new director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The government has appointed IRS officer Rahul Naveen as the new full-time director of ED. His tenure will be two years.
