Former RAW chief Rajinder Khanna appointed as the new Deputy National Security Advisor.
- Rajinder is a 1978 batch RAS officer who has led many counterterrorism operations in RAW.
- He is an expert in Pakistan and Islamic terrorism and will now assist National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
- The post was lying vacant since Arvind Gupta completed his tenure in August 2017.
- The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stated that Rajinder has been appointed as Deputy NSA without a fixed tenure and would remain on the post until further orders.
- He has headed the RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) for two years from December 2014.
- Mr. Khanna is at present Officer on Special Duty (Neighbourhood studies) in the National Security Council Secretariat.
- This Neighbourhood study prepares policy papers of neighbouring countries including Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.
National Security Council
- The National Security Council is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval as its Secretary. It an apex body on all internal and external security related matters.
- It is an executive government agency which advises the Prime Minister’s office on matters of national security and strategic interest.
- It was established by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government on 19th November 1998 with Brajesh Mishra as its first National Security Advisor.
- It is an apex body of the 3-tier structure of the national security management system in India, the other two tiers being the Strategic Policy Group and the National Security Advisory Board.
- Its members include the Ministers of Defence, External Affairs, Home, Finance and the Deputy Chairman of the NITI Aayog.
Expected Questions
Who has appointed as the new Deputy National Security Advisor?
a. Kuldeep Deol
b. Surinder Sahni
c. Rajinder Khanna
d. Sandeep Khaira
The National Security Council is headed by
a. Prime Minister
b. President
c. Vice President
d. Defence Minister
