Dr PK Mishra's appointment is effective from September 11

Pramod Kumar Mishra, 71, has been appointed as the new Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, effective September 11. He will replace Nripendra Misra, the Prime Minister's long-serving aide who resigned last month after a five-year stint as the top bureaucrat in the central government.

A Gujarat cadre Indian Administrative Service officer belonging to the 1972 batch, Mr Mishra, who was previously Additional Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, has also held posts like Secretary Agriculture & Cooperation and Chairman, State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

According to a press statement released by the government, he has managed programmes across a number of different sectors, including agriculture, disaster management, infrastructure and power, and regulatory issues, and has been involved in schemes like the National Agriculture Development Programme and the National Food Security Mission.

In May Mr Mishra, who holds a PhD in Economics / Development Studies from the University of Sussex in England, was conferred a prestigious United Nations award for disaster management and disaster risk reduction.

Along with his appointment, the government also confirmed that PK Sinha, a UP cadre officer from 1977 batch, functioning as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Prime Minister's Office, has been appointed as Principal Advisor to the Prime Minister, also effective September 11.

The Prime Minister's outgoing Principal Secretary, Nripendra Misra, is a UP cadre officer who held posts like Chairperson of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Telecom Secretary of India and Fertilisers Secretary.

At a farewell party organised for him at PM Modi's residence, the Prime Minister described him as a "precious treasure" and commended his "hard-working nature, dedication towards work and his exemplary career as a civil servant".

Mr Misra thanked the Prime Minister for giving him an "opportunity to work towards the dream of creating a New India".

PM Modi had announced last month that Mr Misra did not want to continue as Principal Secretary.

"After serving the PMO assiduously and diligently for over five years and making an indelible contribution to India's growth trajectory, Shri Nripendra Misra Ji will be embarking on a new phase of his life. My best wishes to him for his future endeavours," he had tweeted.