Race for home secretary’s post in last lap

The race for the next home secretary’s chair has entered the final lap, with social justice & empowerment secretary Anil Goswami emerging the front-runner so far, HT reports.

The race for the next home secretary’s chair has entered the final lap, with social justice & empowerment secretary Anil Goswami emerging the front-runner so far.

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If he makes it to the hot seat, Goswami would be the first J&K cadre IAS officer in this post. Sources said the home minister was comfortable with the soft-spoken officer.

But home ministers haven’t had the last word on the selection of the home secretary for most of the UPA’s tenure since 2004.

Sources suggested steel secretary DRS Chaudhary and DoPT secretary PK Misra were the other two contenders trying to outrun Goswami.

Chaudhary and Goswami have handled key responsibilities at the home ministry. Chaudhary handled the centre’s anti-naxal offensive before moving to steel ministry while Goswami was in-charge of the foreigners division.

Misra, in contrast, was the financial adviser to the ministry for a brief duration. Sources suggested he was expected to be given a post-retirement stint as an NHRC member.