Prakash Mishra appointed CRPF chief

Bhubaneswar: Special Secretary in Union Home ministry Prakash Mishra has been appointed as the new chief of country's largest paramilitary force – Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

The order for appointment of Mishra, a 1977-batch IPS officer of Odisha cadre, came today from the Appointments Committee of Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources said.

A week ago, the name of the former director-general of police (DGP) of Odisha, who heads the Internal Security division in the ministry, was cleared by a high-powered committee headed by Union Home minister Rajnath Singh.

The post of CRPF director-general (DG) has been lying vacant since Dilip Trivedi retired on November 30.

CRPF is the mainstay for anti-Naxal operations in the country and Mishra has himself spearheaded the battle when he was Odisha DGP.