Senior IAS officer Rajiv Gauba today took charge as the Union Home Secretary after incumbent Rajiv Mehrishi retired from service.
He will have a fixed two-year tenure.
A 1982 batch officer of the Jharkhand cadre, 59-year-old Gauba was appointed Home Secretary about two months ago and has since been serving in the Home Ministry as Officer on Special Duty (OSD).
Gauba had served as Secretary in the Urban Development Ministry before being appointed in the sensitive post.
Earlier, he had worked in the Home Ministry as Additional Secretary, looking after the crucial left wing extremism division, among many other responsibilities.
Gauba has wide-ranging experience in policy making and programme implementation, in both central and state governments and in international organisations.
Born in Punjab in 1958, Gauba graduated in Physics from Patna University.
He had served in Jharkhand as the Chief Secretary for 15 months before joining the Central Government last year.
Gauba has also served in the Central Government’s ministries of home, defence, finance and environment and forests in different positions.
He represented India on the board of the International Monetary Fund for four years.
As the Home Secretary, he would handle issues such as internal security, militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East, Maoist problems in Central and East India, besides other issues.