BR Sharma appointed MHA Additional Secretary

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 10

Senior bureaucrat and son of the soil BR Sharma was today appointed as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India.

His appointment has been made after his deputation to the Centre was cleared by the Union Government on May 8.

Born on April 27, 1960, Sharma is a 1984-batch IAS officer from Kathua district of the Jammu division and has served on important positions, including Chief Secretary and Home Secretary in the J&K Government. He has been selected for the coveted position on the basis of his expertise in administrative and vast knowledge of national security.

He was appointed as the Chief Secretary by the ruling PDP-BJP coalition, headed by late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, on September 7, 2015. He is scheduled to retire in 2020.

Before proceeding on the Central deputation, Sharma was appointed as Adviser to the Chief Minister (Administrative Affairs) Mehbooba Mufti on April 29. He was succeeded by senior IAS officer Bharat Bhushan Vyas.

Sources said Sharma, who has vast experience of working in conflict-ridden J&K, had served as Principal Secretary of the state Home Department and was the favourite choice of the Union Home Ministry to look after the security-related affairs of the country.

Sharma, who has two postgraduate degrees besides an LLB degree, has held several key posts in the government during his 33 years of service. He was the Chief Election Officer of the state during the 2008 Assembly elections, which were held immediately after the Amarnath Land row agitation in the state.

He has also served in the Ministry of Human Resources and the Department of Atomic Energy at the Centre.