India, Oct. 24 -- The Narendra Modi government has extended Union defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh's tenure by one more year, until October 31, 2027. Saturday's decision came a week before he was due to complete his two-year fixed tenure on October 31.

Singh, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre, has been given the unprecedented extension of one year due to his work in promoting "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" in the defence sector and pushing reforms in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in order to make India more self-reliant.

A quiet yet firm taskmaster, Singh has pushed the defence ninistry and the DRDO into speedier decision-making and opening the conventional missile manufacturing into private sector.

He ...