Nripendra Misra, an IAS officer of UP cadre, who was the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is currently the chairman of the Shri Ram Mandir Construction Committee. Nripendra Misra, born in Deoria, was also the chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Telecom and Fertilizers secretary. He earned an MPA degree in Public Administration from Harvard University.
When BJP formed the government with a majority in 2014, even before taking oath as the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had started looking for 'Navratnas' for his team. For the post of Principal Secretary to the PM, he needed such a capable officer, who not only has a long experience of working in the centre but also does not have any stain on his arm. Also, the officer should have a complete understanding of Uttar Pradesh.
This search of PM Modi ended by going to Nripendra Misra, a retired IAS of 1967 batch. In a big state like Uttar Pradesh, he had worked with two chief ministers each. He got such a huge responsibility without the Gujarat connection. He won the trust of PM Modi with his work. However, in 2019 he was again appointed as the principal secretary to the PM.
He has also been the personal secretary of former chief minister Kalyan Singh and principal secretary to the former chief minister and socialist leader Mulayam Singh. He was against the barbaric action on Kar Sevaks at the time of Babri demolition. Nripendra Misra also advised the then Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav to deal softly with Kar Sevaks. It is believed that he has a good sense of the climate of Uttar Pradesh. So he was appointed as the chairman of the Shri Ram Mandir Construction Committee.