New Delhi, May 29
Ace intelligence man M.K. Narayanan was today appointed Special Adviser to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with the rank of Minister of State, thus creating the third major power centre in the government after Principal Secretary to PM T.K.A. Nair and National Security Adviser J.N. Dixit.
Mr Narayanan, who has had two tenures as Intelligence Bureau chief (1987-90 and after a brief break from 1990-92), will be "one of the important conduits" between the PMO and 10, Janpath, authoritative sources told The Tribune this evening.
Known as one of the best intelligence brains in independent India, Mr Narayanan will take over his new assignment on May 31 for a period of three years. His office will be in the South Block which houses the PMO.
Mr Narayanan told The Tribune that his priorities will be "what the Prime Minister wants me to do. I have no personal priorities." This correspondent had asked him whether his brief will be internal security-cum-intelligence or political matters or both.
"I think the PM would definitely like my advice on intelligence and security issues, but he may need me for other matters as well," Mr Narayanan said.
Significantly, Mr Narayanan is a specialist on left wing politics and Communism.
Asked whether he would freely mingle with the media or keep a low profile, he remarked: "Left to myself I would like to have no profile at all."
Mr Narayanan said he would decide only after taking over on May 31 whether he would shift from Chennai lock, stock and barrel or whether he would keep visiting here while maintaining his base in Chennai. Mr Narayanan said he had met the Prime Minister
“three or four times” in the past one week, the last time on May 27.
Mr Narayanan was at his residence in Chennai when The Tribune telephonically interviewed him. A Tamil Nadu cadre IPS officer of the 1955 batch, Mr Narayanan had a long stint of 37 years.
Sources said he will be advising the Prime Minister on such sensitive issues as talks with the Hurriyat, the functioning of intelligence agencies like the IB and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), and the handling of other internal security-related issues. In this context, sources pointed out, he will be “one notch above” the present pointsmen of the Centre in its talks with Kashmiri separatists.
Besides, Mr Narayanan 10 more top-level appointments were announced by the government today.
The most significant of these appointments is that of Mr Navin B. Chawla, a 1969 batch IAS officer, who has been made the new Information and Broadcasting Secretary succeeding Mr Pawan Chopra who retires on May 31.
The other appointments are as follows: Mr Adarsh Kishore, 1969-batch IAS officer from the Rajasthan cadre, appointed Secretary, Department of Heavy Industries and Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises in place of N.K. Narad whose term comes to an end on May 31.
Mr Manorajan, also a 1969 batch IAS officer from the UP cadre and at present Adviser, Planning Commission, has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
Meenaxi A Chaudhry (Haryana, 1968), appointed new Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports succeeding Rajiv Srivastava who retires this month end.
Anuradha Mansingh, (Gujarat, 1970), chairperson of the National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention, renotified in her present post in the rank and pay of Secretary by temporarily upgrading the post.
Indian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to WTO, K.M. Chandra Shekhar, (Kerala,1970) renotified in his present post in the rank and pay of Secretary by temporarily upgrading his post.
Dhananjay Prasad Singh, (UP, 1970), appointed the new Secretary in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries in place of J Vasudevan who retires on May 31 while Labanyendu Mansingh IAS (Gujarat-1970) made Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs in place of Navin Chawla.
Sanjeev Misra, (Gujarat, 1972) appointed Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser in the Health and Family Welfare Ministry.
