New Delhi: In a key bureaucratic development, former Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar (IAS) has been appointed as the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the body responsible for recruiting civil servants in India. The appointment was confirmed through an order issued by the Union Ministry of Personnel on Tuesday, following the approval of President Droupadi Murmu.
The top post at the UPSC had been lying vacant since April 29, after the tenure of former Chairperson Preeti Sudan came to an end.
Dr Ajay Kumar is a retired 1985-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Kerala cadre. He retired after serving as India’s Defence Secretary from August 23, 2019, to October 31, 2022. During his tenure at the Ministry of Defence, Kumar played a pivotal role in driving major reforms and modernisation efforts within the Indian defence sector.
Dr Kumar has a bachelor of technology (B Tech) in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-Kanpur) and has a Master of Science (M Sc) in development economics from the University of Minnesota. Kumar also has a Doctor of Philosophy degree in business administration from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Dr Ajay Kumar was chosen in the list of "Most Effective Bureaucrats 2019," in a survey conducted by PSU Watch, Fame India & Asia Post. He was felicitated as distinguished alumni by the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur for his professional excellence and nation-building efforts.
Dr Kumar has served in various posts in both the state government of Kerala and central government, such as Principal Secretary (Information Technology), Managing Director of the Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation, Secretary (Industries), Managing Director of the Kerala State Co-operative Agricultural and Rural Development Bank, General Manager in the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation and as the District Magistrate and Collector of the Palakkad district in the Kerala government.
Kumar has also served as the Defence Production Secretary, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Joint Secretary in the Department of Information Technology of the now-erstwhile Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, director in the Department of Biotechnology of the Ministry of Science and Technology and as a deputy secretary in the Department of Home of the Ministry of Home Affairs in the Indian government.
The UPSC Chairman’s role is crucial in ensuring the fairness, transparency, and efficiency of India's civil services recruitment process. As chairman, Kumar is expected to bring his vast administrative experience and strategic vision to strengthen the commission’s institutional framework.
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