New Delhi: Bhaskar Khulbe, working as secretary (PMO) is one of the most powerful IAS officers in the country. Known to be close to the Prime Minister, he will most likely get an extension of three months before his retirement. He was supposed to retire by the end of March.

MyNation has learnt from reliable sources in the bureaucracy that Khulbe’s term would be extended before the notification for general elections 2019. Khulbe’s proximity with PM Modi is well known in the corridors of power.

 As per his service schedule, he will complete 35 years of service towards the end of March. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by the prime minister, it is rumored, will soon approve the extension.

Kulbe is an IAS officer of the1983 batch from West Bengal cadre and is holding his current position in the PMO for the last three-and-half years.

Earlier, he was additional secretary in PMO which he had joined since the formation of Modi government in 2014. Khulbe is a close confidante of PM Modi and is believed to be one of the top contenders for becoming the next secretary of PM Modi.

If Modi government comes to power once again in 2019, he shall be bestowed with the position post-retirement.

Khulbe has held several posts in the government. Soft-spoken and hailing from Uttarakhand, Khulbe was also once close to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

He also served as investment commissioner in New Delhi during the first term of CM Banerjee. Meanwhile, Modi was impressed by Khulbe’s honesty, hard work and abilities, when he was posted as additional secretary in PMO.

If we look at his career graph, most of the time, Khulbe worked with the central government as well as another states under rules of interstate deputation.