Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh given additional charge as DRDO chief following Samir Kamat’s exit

New Delhi, May 30. The government has entrusted Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh with the additional responsibility of heading India’s defence research establishment following the completion of the tenure of DRDO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development, Samir V Kamat on May 31, 2026.

An order issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on May 29 stated that Singh will assume additional charge of the two posts with effect from May 31 until a regular appointment is made or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

According to the official notification, the competent authority has approved the assignment of additional charge of the posts of Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development, and Chairman, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), to Rajesh Kumar Singh, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre, who is currently serving as Defence Secretary.

The appointment ensures continuity in the functioning of the country’s premier defence research agency at a time when several key indigenous military technology programmes are at crucial stages of development.

Singh took over as Defence Secretary on November 1, 2024, after serving as Officer on Special Duty (Defence Secretary-designate) from August 2024. Before joining the Ministry of Defence, he was Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Over a distinguished administrative career spanning more than three decades, Singh has held several important positions in both the Union and Kerala governments. At the Centre, he has served as Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Joint Secretary in the Ministries of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Agriculture, Chief Vigilance Officer of the Food Corporation of India, Director (Works and Urban Transport) in the Ministry of Urban Development, and Commissioner (Lands) in the Delhi Development Authority.

In Kerala, he held key portfolios including Finance Secretary and Secretary, Urban Development, among other assignments.

Singh’s appointment comes with the conclusion of the tenure of Samir V Kamat, who has led the DRDO since August 25, 2022. Kamat’s tenure as Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development, and Chairman, DRDO, was extended multiple times beyond the normal retirement age, reflecting the government’s confidence in his leadership during a period marked by accelerated indigenous defence technology development.

A noted materials scientist and defence technologist, Kamat joined DRDO in 1989 after completing his education at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and The Ohio State University. Prior to becoming DRDO Chairman, he served as Director General (Naval Systems and Materials), where he played a key role in advancing indigenous naval technologies.

During his tenure at the helm of DRDO, the organisation oversaw progress across a range of strategic programmes, including missile systems, unmanned platforms, advanced materials, electronic warfare technologies and next-generation military capabilities. He also championed greater collaboration between DRDO, industry and startups as part of the government’s broader push for defence self-reliance.

Kamat is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering and the Institution of Engineers (India). His contributions to science and engineering have been recognised through several prestigious honours, including the Distinguished Alumni Award from IIT Kharagpur, the Metallurgist of the Year Award from the Ministry of Steel and DRDO’s Scientist of the Year Award. He has also authored more than 180 papers in international peer-reviewed journals.

With Rajesh Kumar Singh temporarily taking charge of both the Department of Defence Research and Development and DRDO, attention will now turn to the government’s selection of a permanent successor to lead the organisation as it advances a range of critical indigenous defence programmes aligned with India’s self-reliance and military modernisation goals.