IPS Officer Parag Jain Appointed New R&AW Chief, Succeeds Ravi Sinha

The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Parag Jain, as the new Secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). He will succeed the current Secretary Ravi Sinha, whose term ends on 30 June 2025. 

A notification to this order was issued by the  Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT).

The head of the R&AW is officially referred to as the Secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).

Tenure of Parag Jain 

The government has appointed Parag Jain for a tenure of two years from the date of assumption of the office or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will assume the office on 1 July 2025. 

The incumbent Secretary, R&AW Ravi Sinha, will retire on 30 June 2025.

About Parag Jain 

Parag Jain is an IPS officer of the 1989 batch from the Punjab cadre. During his stint in Punjab, he was posted in Bhatinda, Mansa, and Hoshiarpur districts of Punjab as Superintendent of Police (SP) and played a key role in anti-militancy operations in the state.

As an R&AW officer, he oversaw the Pakistani desk and was stationed in Jammu and Kashmir during Operation Balakote and the abrogation of Article 370 in the state.

He has also served in Sri Lanka and Canada.

Currently, he is head of the Aviation Research Centre, which played a critical role during Operation Sindoor by collecting intelligence about Pakistani armed forces and the exact locations of the terror camps situated in Pakistan.

Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)

Established - 21 September 1968.

It is India’s external intelligence agency, similar to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States of America and MI6 of the United Kingdom.

Before the establishment of R&AW in 1968, both the domestic and external intelligence gathering was done by the Intelligence Bureau. 

The R&AW was set up after the intelligence failure during the 1962 China-India war and the 1965 India-Pakistan War.

Administrative set-up 

• The R&AW falls under the Cabinet Secretariat, which is part of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), headed by the Prime Minister.
• R&AW chief's official designation is Secretary (Research) in the Cabinet Secretariat.
• The R&AW provides intelligence input to the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister.

Function of R&AW

To collect intelligence on activities originating abroad that can harm India’s national threat to India.

To provide input to the policymaker in the formulation of Indian foreign, security and economic policy.

First head of RAW: Ramwshwar Nath Kao

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