Three in race for next Union Home Secretary

NEW DELHI: Government has shortlisted the names of three senior IAS officers for the post of Union Home Secretary which falls vacant when incumbent R K Singh retires on June 30.

Those shortlisted for the key post are Social Justice and Empowerment Secretary Anil Goswami, Steel Secretary Dileep Raj S Chaudhary and Personnel Secretary Pradeep Kumar Misra.

Goswami is a 1978 batch Jammu and Kashmir cadre officer, Chaudhary is a 1977 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre officer while Misra belongs to 1976 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre.

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde will take the final call on the next Home Secretary before recommending the name to the Appointment Committee of Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

All the three officers had served the Home Ministry in different capacities in the past.

The post of Home Secretary is fixed for a tenure of two years and the next man in the post will oversee the security arrangement, along with the Election Commission, of the next year's general elections.