New Delhi: As the new union home secretary Govind Mohan took his charge at North Block on Friday, his immediate challenge upon assuming his new role is to collaborate closely with the Election Commission to ensure peaceful assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mohan’s appointment as the new home secretary comes at a time when J&K is going for its Assembly after a decade.
Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases on September 18, 25 and October 1. The results will be announced on October 4. This is the first assembly poll in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370.
Immediately after taking his charge, Mohan held a meeting with senior home ministry officials over different aspects of internal security across the country.
“He took stock of the present law and order situation of the country. He also took stock of the present situation of J&K,” a senior official said.
The official informed that Mohan will sit for an elaborate meeting over the J&K situation with senior officials from different agencies very soon.
Another official said that Mohan will also sit with the senior officials of the home ministry dealing with the naxal issue very soon.
The 58 years old senior bureaucrat, Mohan, is a 1989 batch IAS officer of Sikkim cadre. He succeeded Ajay Kumar Bhalla, a 1984-batch IAS officer from the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. Bhalla served as home secretary for nearly five years.
Mohan, who is a B Tech graduate from Banaras Hindu University was previously the Union Culture Secretary before his appointment to this role. He is also a PG Diploma holder from IIM Ahmedabad.
The official also played an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic, overseeing the implementation of various protocols and ensuring effective coordination with state governments when the country was fighting against SARS-C0V-2 virus.
It is worth mentioning that as a culture secretary, Mohan successfully spearheaded two major flagship programs of the Modi government including ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ initiative.
