Govind Mohan Appointed New Union Home Secretary

Senior IAS officer Govind Mohan has been appointed as the next Union Home Secretary, succeeding Ajay Kumar Bhalla. Mohan, currently the Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, will transition as Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Home Affairs. His immediate challenge will involve overseeing assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Senior IAS officer Govind Mohan was appointed as the next Union Home Secretary on Wednesday. He will succeed Ajay Kumar Bhalla, according to an official order.

Mohan is currently serving as Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and will move to the Ministry of Home Affairs as an Officer on Special Duty.

''The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Govind Mohan, IAS (Sikkim: 1989), Secretary, Ministry of Culture, as Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Home Affairs with immediate effect,'' the order stated. He will assume the role of Home Secretary on August 22, 2024, following the completion of Bhalla's tenure.

Govind Mohan, originally from Uttar Pradesh and an alumnus of Banaras Hindu University and IIM Ahmedabad, has held several positions in the Sikkim government. He has also served as joint secretary and additional secretary in the Union Home Ministry before his October 2021 appointment as Secretary of the Ministry of Culture.

His immediate challenge will be to conduct assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir peacefully by September 30, as per a Supreme Court directive. Incumbent Home Secretary Bhalla recently met with the Election Commission to discuss the security situation in the union territory.

Appointed in August 2019, Bhalla has had the longest tenure in the role, positioning him among the top bureaucrats next to the cabinet secretary.

(With inputs from agencies.)