NEW DELHI: The government is set to appoint home secretary Rajiv Gauba as the officer on special duty in the cabinet secretariat over the next few days, paving way for him to take over as the cabinet secretary in mid-June.

Cabinet secretary PK Sinha’s extended four-year term is due to end on June 12.

Gauba, 59, is a 1982 batch officer of the Jharkhand cadre and had served as urban development secretary before moving to North Block as home secretary two years ago. He may get a two-year term initially, sources indicated.

A gold medalist in Physics, he has worked across several central ministries, including environment, defence and communications and IT, besides serving as the chief secretary of Jharkhand. In appointing Gauba, government will go by seniority in selecting the country’s top bureaucrat who is senior-most IAS officer serving at the Centre.

