Guwahati: In a significant move, Prime Minister’s envoy for Naga peace-talks R.N. Ravi has been appointed the governor of Nagaland.

Informing that Mr Ravi will continue to be the interlocutor for the Naga talks, security sources in the ministry of home affairs said that the Naga talks, which is now in concluding stage, would be the prime focus of Mr Ravi as governor too.

Mr Ravi, who was also acting as deputy national security advisor, would be taking over the office next week.

Pointing out that decision to send Mr Ravi as governor to Nagaland was taken at the highest level, security sources said that before the signing of the final peace accord with Naga groups, a lot of groundwork has to be done in the state to remove various legal hurdles. It is believed that as governor, Mr Ravi would be able to expedite all those works on the ground, security sources said adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi intends to conclude the Naga talks at the earliest.

Mr Ravi is a 1976-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Kerala cadre. He has worked closely with national security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval during the latter’s stint as Intelligence Bureau director. He retired as Intelligence Bureau special director in 2012.

He was then appointed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) in 2014 as chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee for three years. He has been instrumental in bringing several groups together for the Naga peace accord.

On August 3, 2015, Mr Ravi signed a framework agreement on behalf of the government of India with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) to end the decades-old Naga insurgency.

On November 17, 2017, a second agreement was signed with the working committee of Naga National Political Groups. He will be replacing Mr P.B. Acharya as the new governor of Nagaland.