In May 2025, the Government of India (GoI) appointed Dr. Ajay Kumar, former Defence Secretary, Ministry of Defence (MoD) and retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1985 Kerala cadre, as the new Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for 6 years or until reaching the age of 65, whichever is earlier.
- The appointment was approved by President of India Droupadi Murmu, under Article 316(1) of the Constitution of India, as per an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (MoPP&P).
- He succeeded Preeti Sudan whose tenure ended on 29th April 2025.
About Dr. Ajay Kumar:
i.Ajay Kumar served as Defence Secretary of India, MoD from 23rd August 2019 to 31st October 2022.
ii.Prior to his role in the MoD, he served in key roles in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), including:
- Director General (Dg), National Informatics Centre (NIC), New Delhi (Delhi)
- Additional Secretary, MeitY
- Principal Secretary, Government of Kerala
- Managing Director(MD), Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KELTRON), Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala)
iii.He played a key role in implementing Digital India initiatives under Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, including Aadhaar (biometric identity system), Unified Payments Interface (UPI), myGov portal, Jeevan Pramaan and
Government e-Marketplace (GeM).
iv.He contributed to initiatives such as Agnipath Scheme (under MoD) and the creation of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) post.
Awards:
i.He is a recipient of several awards like “Silver Elephant” medallion by National Scouts and Guides in 1994.
ii.“Electronics Leader” of the Year for the year 2012 for promotion of electronics industry in the country.
iii. “Technovation Sarabhai Award” by India Electronics & Semiconductor Association in 2015
iv.“Champion of Change” by Consumer Electronics & Appliances Manufacturers Association in 2017.
Note: On 1 May 2025, Sujata Chaturvedi, former Secretary of the Department of Sports (DoS), Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MoYAS), was sworn in as a Member of UPSC.
About Union Public Service Commission (UPSC):
The UPSC is responsible for conducting civil services examinations to recruit officers for prestigious roles like the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and Indian Police Service (IPS). The commission is headed by a Chairman and can have a maximum of 10 members.
Chairman – Dr. Ajay Kumar
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Established – 1926
