<B>Newsmaker:</B> Raj Kumar Singh

The secretary, department of defence production, Raj Kumar Singh, has returned to the home ministry as the new Home Secretary. The Union Home Minister made his choice after a one-on-one interview with Singh, although this is not part of the official procedure. It is the first time that a home secretary was chosen after appearing for a personal interview with the home minister. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Singh who will serve as Officer on Special Duty in the Home Ministry with immediate effect.

Singh replaces G.K. Pillai, a 1972 batch Kerala cadre IAS officer. Pillai had taken charge as Home Secretary in June 2009 — seven months after the Mumbai terror attack — and presided over a complete overhaul of the country's security establishment. Pillai has retired after completing his two-year tenure as Union home secretary.

Interestingly, the defence minister AK Antony, who supported Singh during his tenure in the defence ministry, initially wanted him to continue as the secretary defence production but when Singh personally met him and said he wanted the job, Antony readily agreed. Singh is a 1975 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Bihar cadre who joined the service on July 14, 1975 at 23. The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar has got the credit for constructing good roads all over the state - but it was Singh who was the driving force. He is known to be a workaholic and would take-off on field visits to supervise projects himself while heading road construction projects in Bihar. “He accepted the challenge of heading the Roads Construction Department when no officer wanted to be posted there,” said a senior Bihar cadre officer who has worked with Singh.

Singh was earlier posted as a joint secretary in the home ministry where he had a five year tenure. His experience in North block is one of the principal reasons why he was chosen for the top post. He is known to be an upright and a no-nonsense officer who works for 12 to 13 hours every day and expects the same kind of hard work from his colleagues. He doesn’t like officers who shirk work. “People in the home ministry who can’t work long hours should move out now” said a colleague. Singh’s day starts at around 9:30 in the morning and he works till 9:30-10 pm on most days. This has been his routine for nearly three decades.

Recently, when the Prime Minister met with senior editors he remarked that the emphasis in the fight against Naxalism was on two fronts: intelligence gathering as well as development . "One emphasis is on intelligence so that they match them in actual combat. The other is on development. Development is the master remedy to win over people . If my children are in school, better health facilities are available , if forest rights of tribals are respected and implemented, it should win over people. In the short run, government's writ must run," said the Prime Minister.

Not surprisingly, speaking to newspersons soon after assuming charge, the new home secretary took a cue from the Prime Minister and focused his comments on the Naxal issue, expressing the need to work closely with the governments of Naxal-affected states, and that challenges would be met head on with a nod towards better intelligence gathering as well as a commitment to improve the condition of people in these areas.

Singh is extremely fond of pets – especially dogs - and has more than 6 at home. “The pets are his boss at home,” an officer said. They said Singh was content if his grandson was in his lap and his dogs were around him: he apparently needs very little to make him happy.

Newsmaker: Raj Kumar Singh