New Delhi, July 2
Haryana cadre IAS official Pradeep Kumar was today unanimously chosen as the next Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), four months after the Supreme Court had quashed the appointment of PJ Thomas to the post. Pradeep Kumar is at present the Defence Secretary and also Secretary, Defence Production.

For the Haryana cadre it is a feather in its cap as the CVC is considered an important and significant posting. Just last week, the government had appointed another Haryana cadre IAS officer RS Gujral as the Revenue Secretary.

Though no official announcement has been made yet, sources said Pradeep Kumar was chosen by the consensus of a three-member panel comprising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Home Minister P Chidambaram and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj.

The leader of opposition had dissented during the appointment of PJ Thomas as he was facing case in the infamous “Palmolien oil import” in his home cadre of Kerala. Today Swaraj said she had not raised any objection.

Pradeep Kumar will have almost a three-year term as he will turn 65 (the retirement age for a CVC) in September, 2014. Sushma Swaraj, who had opposed in writing the appointment of Thomas as the CVC, had no objection to Kumar’s candidature. He is on fixed two-year tenure in the Defence Ministry which will end on July 31.

Pradeep Kumar, an alumnus of IIT-Delhi, has been dogged in the Defence Ministry. He formed the transition of the Indian Armed forces to have some US-made equipment in the arsenal. The transport aircraft C-130-J was the first to be inducted in February this year while New Delhi placed orders with the US for purchase of heavy-lift transporter C-17 globemaster and maritime reconnaissance aircraft P-8I.

Though the US made its first entry in five decades, Pradeep Kumar along with Defence Minister AK Antony were clearly not swayed by the US pressure as the ministry refused to sign the controversial defence agreement with the US even as Washington kept on pressing for the same terming them as ‘foundation agreements’. The IAF in conjunction with the Ministry went on to select two European fighter jets for a $10.4 billion tender. Even strategic planners lauded, the US was fuming, the ministry did not budge.

It was during his tenure that India and Russia inked the historic deal to co-develop the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) in December last year. The two long-standing allies fixed the contentious issue of pricing for the sea-borne aircraft carrier, the Admiral Gorshkov. It was during his tenure that the indigenous fighter aircraft the Tejas got its initial operational clearance while the Army is ready to have a upgraded Arjun tank - both pet projects of the Defence Minister who is keen on developing own capacities.

Kumar has served as the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, chairman of the NHAI and as Additional Secretary, Mines and Minerals at the Centre, and Resident Commissioner of Haryana in Delhi.