Who is Nitin Agarwal, Kerala cadre IPS officer to lead Border Security Force
Agarwal has also served in the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), another border guarding force under the ministry of home affairs (MHA).
Nitin Agarwal, a Kerala cadre Indian Police Service officer of the 1989 batch, will take charge as the new Director General of the Border Security Force, ending a five-month vacancy of the BSF's top post. A notification from the Appointments Committee of the union cabinet on Sunday said Agarwal had been appointed 'from date of joining post and up to July 31, 2026, his date of superannuation, or till further orders, whichever is earlier', news agency PTI said.
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Agarwal replaces Pankaj Kumar Singh, who retired on December 31. Central Reserve Police Force DG Sujoy Lal Thaosen led BSF in an additional capacity since Singh's retirement.
Agarwal is expected to take charge on June 14 after the BSF's bi-annual, four-day border talks end with its Bangladeshi counterpart, the Border Guard Bangladesh. The talks are taking place in Delhi.
Who is Nitin Agarwal?
Agarwal is currently Additional DG (Operations) at the CRPF's HQ in Delhi. He was promoted to ADG in 2014 while serving with the ITBP, or Indo Tibetan Border Police.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Agarwal completed his B. Tech (1983-1987) and M. Tech (1987-1989) in civil engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi.
Agarwal has also served in the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), another border-guarding force reporting to the union home ministry and has worked in various capacities in his cadre state of Kerala. In the initial stages of his professional journey, Agarwal served as an Assistant Engineer at the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers.
Salary
Following his promotion and the recent order, Agarwal has been placed at Level-16 of the Pay Matrix, which entitles him to an increased salary in his new position, reported Live Mint.
As per the 7th Pay Commission Pay Matrix, the salary range for Level 16 falls between ₹2,05,400 and ₹2,24,400. In addition to the salary, Agarwal will also be entitled to various perks and allowances associated with his new role.