N.K. Singh shifted to Planning Commission

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL 27. The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, today appointed Mr. N.K. Singh, Officer on Special Duty in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), as a Member of the Planning Commission with effect from May 1, 2001. In his new post, Mr. Singh will enjoy the status of a Minister of State.

Mr. Singh, an IAS officer, retired from service as Secretary in the PMO on January 31 this year and was re-appointed Officer on Special Duty in the same office. Lately, however, his tenure became controversial with demands for his removal, especially from the Sangh Parivar outfits who wanted both Mr. Singh and Mr. Brajesh Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, removed for their pro-liberalisation policies. The demands gathered momentum after the Tehelka tapes expose, though there was no direct evidence against either of the two officials.

Mr. Singh has been in the limelight for quite sometime now. He was Revenue Secretary in the Finance Ministry till August 1998 when he, along with the then Finance Secretary, Mr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, were moved out together. While Mr. Ahluwalia was shifted to the Planning Commission as Member, Mr. Singh moved to the PMO as Secretary (Economic Affairs).

In this position, Mr. Singh was instrumental in guiding economic policies to a large extent, dealing with diverse issues like telecom, power and road construction. The involvement of Mr. Singh, along with Mr. Mishra, on matters economic was so much that talk about an ``overbearing'' PMO started doing the rounds and the two had to come before the press to clarify their role.

Earlier this year, another controversy of sorts erupted with speculation gaining ground that the general budget was shaped more by Mr. Singh than by the Finance Minister, Mr. Yashwant Sinha. The speculation gathered so much momentum that Mr. Sinha was forced to go on record to say ``It is my budget.'' Mr. Singh, however, just kept mum on this issue but appeared on many TV channels to explain and defend the budget.

Mr. Singh's movement to the Planning Commission is not directly linked to the fact that Mr. Ahluwalia would be leaving the Commission and taking up a new highly-paid job with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He is likely to move out by the end of July while Mr. Singh is expected to join the Commission on May 1. There is no limit on the number of Members that the Planning Commission can have.

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