Senior IAS officer Govind Mohan appointed as next Union Home Secretary

Senior IAS officer Govind Mohan was on Wednesday appointed as the next Union Home Secretary, replacing Ajay Kumar Bhalla, according to official orders.

Mohan, who is currently secretary in the culture ministry, will join the home ministry 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, Home Ministry with immediate effect.

“The officer will take over as Deputy Home Secretary Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla, IAS (Assam-Meghalaya: 1984) on completion of his term on August 22, 2024,” the order said.

Mohan, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, served as joint secretary and assistant secretary in the Union home ministry and was later appointed as secretary in the culture ministry in October 2021.

The officer, who holds a bachelor's degree in science and technology from Banaras Hindu University and a postgraduate diploma from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, has also held various positions in the Sikkim government.

Mohan's immediate challenge after taking over as Union Home Minister will be the peaceful conduct of assembly elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the Supreme Court directive, elections in Jammu and Kashmir must be held by September 30.

The current Home Minister Bala held a meeting with the Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday to discuss the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the issue of force mobilization.

Bala was appointed federal home minister in August 2019.

(This article has not been edited by News18 staff and is published by PTI)