VINOD BHAT
SRINAGAR, Jan 14:
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), the apex body responsible for approving senior bureaucratic appointments in the country, has accorded its approval for the appointment of senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Shri Rakesh Aggarwal as the Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The appointment was confirmed through an official order issued on Wednesday by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India, which stated that Shri Aggarwal, a 1994-batch IPS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, will assume charge of the country’s premier counter-terrorism investigation agency.
At present, Shri Aggarwal is serving as Special Director General (SDG) in the NIA, a position in which he has been closely associated with several high-profile investigations related to terrorism, radicalisation, organised crime and threats to national security. His elevation to the top post is seen as a move aimed at ensuring continuity and stability in the leadership of the agency.
According to the DoPT order, the ACC has approved his appointment to the post of Director General, NIA, in Level-16 of the Pay Matrix, which is among the highest pay scales in the central government hierarchy. His tenure as Director General will commence from the date he formally assumes charge and will continue up to August 31, 2028, the date on which he is due to attain superannuation, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
The order further clarified that the appointment was made following a formal proposal forwarded by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and has been duly communicated by the Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
The National Investigation Agency, functioning under the Ministry of Home Affairs, plays a crucial role in investigating and prosecuting offences related to terrorism and other acts that pose a threat to the sovereignty, security and integrity of the country. With his extensive policing experience and long association with the agency, Shri Aggarwal is expected to steer the NIA through complex internal security challenges in the coming years.
