Bhubaneswar: The Union Government has appointed IPS officer Parag Jain as the new chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Jain, a 1989-batch Punjab cadre IPS officer, will succeed incumbent Ravi Sinha as the RAW chief. Sinha’s term as the Chief of RAW will end on June 30.

Jain is scheduled to take charge on July 1. He will head RAW for a period of two years. Jain played a key role in the Operation Sindoor, launched by the Indian armed forces to destroy terror infrastructure in Pakistan in the wake of Pahalgam attack.

It is worth mentioning here that RAW is the foreign intelligence agency of India. Its primary function is to gather foreign intelligence and advance India’s strategic interests.

Formed in 1968, the agency played a vital role in the accession of Sikkim to India in 1975.

The chief of RAW is designated as the Secretary (Research) in the Cabinet Secretariat. The agency functions under the authority of the Prime Minister without parliamentary oversight.   Â