Dr. Ajay Kumar, The current Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission, who is holding the charge from15 may in 2025 and will serve in this post till October 2017.
He is a retired IAS officer of the 1985 batch and a former Defence Secretary. He is also known for his important role in the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff and the implementation of the Agni Veer scheme. He was born on 2 October 1962 in Jalandhar, Punjab. He also holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electrical Engineering from India’s top institute, IIT Kanpur. After this, he studied Master of Science in Applied Economics Development Economics from the University of Minnesota, USA. He obtained a doctorate in Business Administration from the Carson School of Management.
Administrative Career and Current Affairs
After becoming the Chairman of the UPSC in 2025, he organized the first open town hall dialogue in the country’s history with candidates appearing for the Civil Services Examination to promote transparency and reforms in the examination system.
- Historic Work in the Defense Sector
Played a key role in the creation of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, the integration of the three services, and implemented the historic Agneepath scheme to recruit young people into the service. He was also India’s longest-serving Defense Secretary. He emphasized the importance of the service’s weapons, promoted domestic defense production and Made in India, and abolished the government-run Ordnance Factory Board and transformed it into a modern corporate entity.
- Contributions to Digital India and e-Governance
While at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, he designed and launched several major platforms that digitalized the country, including Aadhaar, UPI, mygov.in, and digilocker. Introducing digital life certificates for pensioners, enabling millions of senior citizens to receive their pensions without visiting banks, and launching a transparent online GEM portal to curb corruption in government department purchases.
- Significant work in the Kerala cadre
Served as the Managing Director of the Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation, building the state’s IT infrastructure and bringing information technology and digital literacy to rural Kerala in its early days.
Key Honors and Awards
- Citation : Specially honored by the Prime Minister of India for outstanding work.
- Distinguished Alumnus Award 2019 by IIT Kanpur for outstanding contributions in the field of engineering and entrepreneurship.
- Silver Elephant Medal 1994: The highest national award of the Scouts and Guides Organization of India for his service to the Scouting movement.
- Electronics Leader of the Year 2012: Awarded for promoting the electronics industry and manufacturing.
- Technovation Sarabhai Award 2015 by the India Electronics and Semiconductor Organization for promoting indigenous innovation in the electronics sector.
- Champion of Change 2017: For driving improvements in the electronics manufacturing ecosystem and government policies.