Government has appointed senior police officer Aruna Bahuguna as the new chief of the Hyderabad-based National Police Academy, alma mater for IPS officers in the country.

With this appointment, Bahuguna, a 1979-batch IPS officer, will be the first woman Director of the 65-year-old institution also known as the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) and is tasked with the training of police leaders after they are recruited by the UPSC through the all-India civil services exam.

Bahuguna (56), who belongs to Andhra Pradesh cadre, is at present posted as the Special Director General, CRPF, at its headquarters in the national capital.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently issued orders in this regard.

The officer, who has served in various positions with Andhra Pradesh police, also holds the distinction of being the first woman SDG in CRPF, country's largest paramilitary force.

She is the second-in-command of the 3 lakh strong force, after the DG.

The post of NPA Director fell vacant after incumbent Subhas Goswami was appointed as the DG of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in November last year.

Reputed police officers like Sankar Sen, Trinath Mishra and K Vijay Kumar have earlier headed the NPA.

After taking over, Bahuguna will be the 28th boss of the academy and could continue upto February 2017 when she is due for retirement from service.

The high-level board of the NPA comprises senior civil servants, police officers and eminent educationists as its members and is headed by the Union Home Secretary.