Govt sets up key panel to assist National Security Council, makes Ajit Doval most powerful bureaucrat

Ajit Doval

The Centre has revised the Strategic Policy Group (SPG), that assists the National Security Council in advising Prime Minister Narendra Modi on matters of national security and strategic interests.

The group is the first of the three tier structure of the NSC.

The group will now be headed by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, making him the most powerful bureaucrat in India.

Earlier, the policy group was chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, the senior most bureaucrat in the government. The reconstitution of the group now places NSA at the top of the structure.

The group will now also be responsible for inter-ministerial coordination and integration of relevant inputs for the formulation of national security policies.

The NSA will convene the policy group's meetings and the cabinet secretary will coordinate implementation of its decisions by union ministries, departments and state governments.

The inclusion of the NITI Aayog in the group has also made the policy group more important. The vice chairman of the government think tank will now be a member of the group.

The chiefs of the three defence services, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), home secretary, finance secretary, defence secretary and the foreign secretary are other members that constitute the group.

The Secretary of the Department of Defence Production and Supplies, the scientific adviser to the defence minister and the head of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), designated as Secretary (R) and Cabinet Secretariat will also be members of the panel.

The other members are Secretary, Department of Revenue; Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy; Secretary, Department of Space; Director, Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Secretary, National Security Council Secretariat.

Representatives of other ministries and departments will be invited to the meetings of the group as and when necessary.

(With inputs from PTI)