Rasgotra to head reconstituted security body

New Delhi, Aug 12 (UNI) The government has reconstituted the 19-member National Security Advisory Board (NSAB), with former Foreign Secretary M K Rasgotra as its Convenor, it was announced here today.

The NSAB, an important element of the National Security Council system, is a multi-disciplinary body comprising persons of eminence from outside the Government.

The other members of the re-constituted Board include retired bureaucrats K S Rao, former Chief Secretary, Sikkim; V K Jain, IPS (retd), former Special Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs; and N S Sisodia, former Secretary, Finance Ministry.

Members from the armed forces are former Army Chief Gen V N Sharma, former IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswami and Vice Admiral (retd) P S Das, who was FOC-in-C Eastern Fleet.

Also taken on are Prof Roddham Narasimha, Chairman (Engineering Mechanics Unit), Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, former Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Chairman Dr MR Srinivasan, former Intelligence Bureau (IB) Special Director S P Talukdar and ex-RAW chief A S Dulat.

From the academic side, the members on the NSAB are Dr Rakesh Datta, Professor and Head, Department of Defence Studies, Punjab University; Prof. N Balakrishnan, Associate Director, Indian Institute of Science (IISc); and Prof, Alka Acharya, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

K V Rajan, former Ambassador to Nepal; V K Grover, former Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs; N Ravi, a journalist working with The Hindu; Wasbir Hussain, Political Analyst and Associate Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management; and Dr Rajiv Kumar, Director, ICRIER are the other members.

UNI SKS SHB HT1938