Vijay Singh takes over as Defense Secretary

By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
 
Bhopal : Vijay Singh, an IAS (Indian Administrative Service) Officer of central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh cadre has taken over as the Defense Secretary of Government of India.
    
Prior to his appointment as Defense Secretary, Singh held the charge of Secretary, Road Transport and Highways in the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways.
    
Born on July 13, 1948, Singh obtained his Masters Degree in History from Delhi University and joined Indian Administrative Service in 1970. He was allotted Madhya Pradesh Cadre.
    
Singh has worked in various capacities in Madhya Pradesh between 1971 and 1982 and held the post of District Magistrate of Gwalior and Bhopal. He served in the Government of India between 1982 and 1987 as Director and Coordinator for festival of India in USA, France, USSR and Japan. He again served with the Madhya Pradesh Government between 1987 and 1996 as Commissioner Jabalpur Division, Indore Division and Home Secretary. He again returned to Government of India to serve as Financial Advisor, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Additional Secretary in the Ministries of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Information and Broadcasting from 1996 to 2004.
    
He was Chief Secretary Madhya Pradesh from October 2004 to January, 2006. He was Secretary, Department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy in the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare from February 2006 to July 2006.
    
Meanwhile, the outgoing Defense Secretary Shekhar Dutt has been appointed as Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic and Defense related subjects in the National Security Council Secretariat. Dutt will be in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India and will hold the post for a period of two years in the first instance or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
    
Dutt was appointed as Defense Secretary in July 2005. Prior to this appointment, he was Secretary Defense Production. He is also an IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre of the 1969 batch. He has also served in the Army and for his role in the Western Sector during 1971 War; he was awarded Sena Medal for gallantry. ([email protected])