The appointments committee of the cabinet on Tuesday cleared a second stint for Nripendra Misra as principal secretary to the Prime Minister.

The 74-year-old, 1967-batch IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre will hold cabinet minister rank and his term will be co-terminus with Prime Minister Modi’s.

The appointment is with retrospective effect from May 31, the day after this government was sworn in.

A similar extension has been given to Gujarat-cadre IAS officer P.K. Mishra, who was serving as additional principal secretary to the Prime Minister. He too has been given cabinet minister rank.

Usually, those appointed to the two posts are given Cabinet secretary rank.

Earlier, national security adviser Ajit Doval was given an extension along with an upgrade from minister of state rank to cabinet rank.

In 2014, one of the first decisions the Modi government had taken was to promulgate an ordinance to amend the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act to pave the way for Misra’s appointment.

The Trai Act had barred anyone who had served as its chairman or member from being employed by the Centre or any state government.

Misra had been Trai chairman for three years from 2006.