Pradeep Kumar Sinha, the principal advisor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, resigned from his post on Tuesday, the Hindustan Times reported. The former Cabinet secretary, who was with the Prime Minister’s Office for 18 months, cited personal reasons for quitting, according to NDTV.

While his office confirmed to the Hindustan Times that Sinha had submitted his resignation, there was no immediate communication from the government. “He has relinquished charge on March 15,’’ an official told the newspaper.

Another unidentified official told the newspaper that Sinha resigned because of his poor health. “He is having some issues and it was considered that it was better to be away from such a high-pressure job that he is in now,” the official said.

Sinha was first appointed an Officer on Special Duty in the Prime Minister’s Office for a brief period, before he was made the principal advisor in September 2019. The post was specially created for him, according to The Hindu.

He was earlier appointed Cabinet secretary, which is the top post in the country’s bureaucracy, in May 2015, for a fixed two-year term. Sinha, a 1977 batch Indian Administrative Services officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has earlier served as the power secretary. He has also worked in several other important positions in the central government.