Rajesh Kumar Singh Has Been Given The Additional Charge Of Drdo Chief And Will Hold Dual Responsibilities Along With That Of Defense Secretary

Amid the leadership change in India’s Defense Research Establishment, the Central Government has handed over the additional charge of Chairman of the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. This decision has been taken after the end of the extended tenure of the current DRDO Chairman Dr. Sameer Kamat, which ends on 31 May 2026.

According to the official order issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Rajesh Kumar Singh will hold the additional responsibility of Secretary, Department of Defense Research and Development and Chairman, DRDO, along with his existing post of Defense Secretary. The order said that this arrangement has been implemented after the approval of the competent authority so that there is continuity of leadership in the country’s premier defense research institute.

Dr. Sameer Kamat was appointed Chairman of DRDO in the year 2022. During his tenure he was given extension of service of one year twice. Under his leadership, many important programs related to indigenous defense technology and military research progressed. Now after the formal end of his tenure, the government has handed over this responsibility to Rajesh Kumar Singh under the interim arrangement.

According to government sources, this step has been taken at a time when DRDO is working on many important projects and the government does not want the pace of any project to be affected due to change of leadership. This arrangement will continue until the process of appointment of the permanent president is completed.

The appointment of Rajesh Kumar Singh comes at a time when India is paying special attention to defense modernisation, development of indigenous weapon systems and strategic capability expansion. The dual role of Defense Secretary and DRDO Chairman positions him as an important bridge between defense policy making and technical research. Experts believe that this could enable better coordination between defense plans and research priorities.

In this sequence, the Central Government has also issued orders related to additional charges on other senior scientific and administrative posts. Director General of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research N. Kalaiselvi has been given the additional charge of Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences. This decision has been taken after the retirement of the current Secretary M. Ravichandran on May 31.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences works in important areas like climate research, oceanic studies and disaster forecasting. In such a situation, the government has made this interim arrangement to maintain administrative continuity there also.

Apart from this, Shrivatsa Krishna, Secretary of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, has been given the additional charge of Secretary of the National Minorities Commission. This responsibility has been assigned after the retirement of Commission Secretary Alka Upadhyay on May 31.

Analysts believe that the government is working on a strategy to keep the process of leadership change smooth by giving additional responsibilities to senior officials in various ministries and institutions. Strategic and defense sector experts will keep a special eye on the role of Rajesh Kumar Singh in DRDO, because the organization plays a central role in developing India’s self-reliant defense technology.

Rajesh Kumar Singh’s leadership is considered important amid the progress of DRDO’s major projects, indigenous defense systems and technological innovation programs in the coming months.

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