Bureaucrat turned politician R K Singh in PM Modi’s new team

R K Singh to hold independent charge of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Bureaucrat-turned-politician R K Singh has been inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s council of ministers again. The former Indian Administrative Services officer who was a minister of state in the power ministry in the 2014 Lok Sabha contested and won from Arrah, in Bihar. This time around, he has been sworn in as a cabinet minister.

The former Indian Administrative Services officer who was a minister of state in the power ministry in the 2014 Lok Sabha contested and won from Arrah, in Bihar. (Mohd Zakir/HT Photo)

Known as a tough bureaucrat, Singh shot into the limelight when on October 30, 1990, he ordered the arrest of Bharatiya Janata Party stalwart Lal Krishna Advani, when the veteran leader’s Rath Yatra was on its way to Ayodhya from Somnath, Gujarat.

At the time, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav was the chief minister of Bihar. Singh was the then district magistrate of Samastipur. Singh has also served as the Union home secretary from 2011 to 2013.

A graduate in English literature, Singh also holds a law degree. When Nitish Kumar became Bihar chief minister in 2005, Singh, was made principal secretary and was instrumental in improving the road network in the state.