The post of NSA was created in November 1998 when the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee appointed career diplomat Brajesh Mishra as the first NSA.
As per the mandate, Doval would be advising the Prime Minister on matters relating to internal and external threats to the country and oversees strategic issues.
He will also serve as the Prime Minister's Special Representative on the India-China border question.
Chiefs of Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing will also be reporting to Doval now. After analyzing these reports, Doval would brief the Prime Minsiter.
A 1968-batch IPS officer from Kerala cadre, Doval won the police medal for meritorious service after just six years in service instead of the usual 17 years.
His admirers recall fondly the note written by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on his file before clearing his name for the Police medal in which she had said that she wouldn't normally do this, but the circumstances were unusual.
