India has appointed former paramilitary chief Anish Dayal Singh as a deputy to National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, with responsibility for domestic security, government sources told Press on Monday.

Singh, a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1988 Manipur cadre, has been named Assistant National Security Adviser (ANSA). He previously headed the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and served nearly three decades in the Intelligence Bureau (IB). He retired in December 2023.

Officials said Singh will oversee issues related to Jammu and Kashmir, counter-insurgency operations against Maoist rebels, and internal security in India’s northeast. His appointment adds to the team of two existing assistant NSAs – retired IPS officer T.V. Ravichandran and former diplomat Abhay Kapoor – while former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Rajinder Khanna serves as Additional NSA.

During his tenure as CRPF chief, Singh expanded counter-Maoist operations, creating four new battalions and over three dozen forward operating bases in insurgency-hit regions. His appointment comes as the government pushes to eradicate Maoist militancy by March 2026, a target set by Home Minister Amit Shah.

According to official data presented in parliament, districts affected by Maoist insurgency have fallen from 126 in 2013 to just 18 in April 2025.

The government has not issued a formal statement on Singh’s new role, but analysts say his experience in counter-insurgency and intelligence makes the appointment significant at a time when New Delhi is focusing on domestic security challenges.