Senior IAS officer Rajesh Kumar Singh has officially taken up the post of Defence Secretary on 1 November 2024 at the South Block in New Delhi. Singh has been an IAS officer from the 1989 batch of the Kerala cadre. He was designated as an Officer on Special Duty for the Defence Secretary role on 20 August 2024. He started his new professional journey by paying tribute to India’s fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial and emphasizing on their sacrifices for the nation. He will be succeeding Giridhar Aramane, an IAS officer from the 1988 Andhra Pradesh cadre who retired from the post on 31 October 2024.
Singh’s previous experience
Before this appointment, he previously served as the Secretary for the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) within the Ministry of Commerce and Industry from April 2023 to August 2024. He has also worked as Secretary at the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. Singh has a lot of experience in various ministries including the Ministry of Urban Development and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. He has also held significant designations like Joint Secretary and Director of Works and Urban Transport.
Along with working in the Union Government, Singh has also played a crucial role in the Kerala state administration. At the state level, he has worked as Secretary for Urban Development and also as Finance Secretary. In his illustrious career, he also has experience working as Chief Vigilance officer at the Food Corporation of India and a key position in the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).