Retired 1988‑batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Anish Dayal Singh has been appointed as the Deputy National Security Adviser (Deputy NSA) to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, effective Sunday, August 24, 2025. In his new capacity, Singh—aged approximately 60—will report directly to National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and play a pivotal role in shaping India’s internal security strategy.

Born in 1964 in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, Anish Dayal Singh hails from the Manipur cadre and graduated from the 1988 IPS class. His foundational training took place at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad.

Singh’s distinguished career spans several critical security domains. He served nearly three decades in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) before rising to lead the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and, subsequently, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) as Director General from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024.

During Singh’s tenure as CRPF chief, the force advanced its anti‑Naxal efforts by establishing over three dozen forward operating bases and raising four additional battalions dedicated to operations in Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas, particularly in Chhattisgarh.

He also championed the first major restructuring of the CRPF in eight years—reassigning more than 130 battalions. This aimed to enhance operational efficiency while improving the welfare of personnel by reducing average distances between battalions and their respective group centres from roughly 1,200 km to 500 km. Additionally, Singh initiated “samvaad” (dialogue) sessions with mid‑level commanders to glean ground-level insights, measures that earned widespread recognition within the force.

Moreover, Singh’s tenure encompassed crucial national events, including the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the inaugural assembly elections in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir—both of which saw the CRPF play key security roles.

Singh also advocated for a government policy granting honorary ranks to retiring personnel of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), aimed at addressing promotion stagnation affecting lower ranks. This policy, passed by the Ministry of Home Affairs in early 2025, was a landmark morale-boosting initiative, having been originally proposed by Singh himself.

In his new role as Deputy NSA, Singh is entrusted with overseeing internal security matters, including strategy and operations concerning Jammu & Kashmir, Naxal-affected regions, and insurgency in the Northeast. He joins a cadre of senior security officials such as former RAW chief Rajinder Khanna (Additional NSA), and fellow Deputy NSAs TV Ravichandran and Pawan Kapoor in supporting the National Security Council Secretariat.