New Delhi|Nov, 1: Senior IAS officer Rajesh Kumar Singh on Friday assumed charge as the new Defence Secretary.
A 1989-batch IAS officer from Kerala, RK Singh had assumed the charge of the Officer on Special Duty (Defence Secretary-designate) on August 20, an official statement said. R K Singh succeeded Giridhar Aramane, a 1988-batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, who superannuated from service on Thursday. Before taking charge, he laid a wreath and paid homage to the fallen heroes at the National War Memorial.
“The nation will remain forever indebted to our brave soldiers who make the supreme sacrifice in the service of the motherland. Their extraordinary bravery and sacrifice is a source of strength & inspiration for us to make India a safe and prosperous nation,” Singh said.
Earlier, Rajesh Kumar was holding the charge of Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry from April 24, 2023 to August 20, 2024. Prior to that, he held the post of Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
The new Defence Secretary held many other important positions in the Union Government including Director, Works and Urban Transport in the Ministry of Urban Development, Commissioner (Lands) – DDA and Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. Moreover, he has also held important positions in the State Government as Secretary, Urban Development and lately as Finance Secretary, Government of Kerala.
