Gyanesh Kumar (born 27 January 1964) is a 1988-batch[1] retired Indian Administrative Service officer belonging to the Kerala cadre superannuated as Co-operation Secretary of India on 31 January 2024. On 14 March 2024, he was appointed as Election Commissioner of India.[2][3]

Gyanesh Kumar
Election Commissioner of India
Assumed office
14 March 2024
Preceded byAnup Chandra Pandey
Cooperation Secretary of India
In office
3 May 2022 – 31 January 2024
Preceded byDevendra Kumar Singh
Succeeded byAshish Kumar Bhutani
Personal details
Born (1964-01-27) 27 January 1964 (age 60)
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
OccupationRetired IAS Officer

Early life and education edit

Kumar was born on 27 January 1964 in Agra district of the Indian state Uttar Pradesh.[4] He completed his BTech in Civil Engineering from IIT Kanpur[5] and studied Business Finance at ICFAI, India and Environmental Economics at HIID, Harvard University, US.[6]

Career edit

Gyanesh Kumar was the Co-operation Secretary and Parliamentary Affairs Secretary at the Centre earlier and also served as the additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs.[7] During his tenure, the Cooperation Ministry[8] saw enactment of the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) (Amendment) Act, 2023,[9] and formation of three new national cooperative bodies – Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL), National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), and National Cooperative Export Limited (NCEL).[10]

He played a crucial role in the timely launch of the CRCS-Sahara refund portal for submission of claims by genuine depositors of four Multi-State Cooperative Societies of Sahara Group.[11]

Kumar served as Joint Secretary (Defence Production) in the Ministry of Defence from 2007 to 2012, during the UPA government.[12]

References edit

  1. ^ "Civil List of IAS Officers". easy.nic.in. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  2. ^ "Who are new election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar?". Hindustan Times. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Who is Gyanesh Kumar, the newly appointed election commissioner". The Times of India. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Who is Gyanesh Kumar, the newly-appointed Election Commissioner ?". Livemint. 2024-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  5. ^ "In Agra, parents rejoice at Gyanesh Kumar's appointment as election commissioner". Hindustan Times. 2024-03-15. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  6. ^ "Meet Gyanesh Kumar, the new Election Commissioner of India. He oversaw abrogation of Article 370". WION. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  7. ^ "Who is Gyanesh Kumar, the newly appointed election commissioner". The Times of India. 2024-03-14. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  8. ^ "5 Points About Gyanesh Kumar, New Election Commissioner". NDTV. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  9. ^ PTI (2023-10-23). "Cooperative export body NCEL gets ₹7,000 crore orders so far, to share profit with member farmers: Amit Shah". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  10. ^ "Who Are Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, The Retired IAS Officers Appointed As Election Commissioners?". Outlook India. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  11. ^ "Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah launches the CRCS – Sahara Refund Portal in New Delhi today". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  12. ^ "Who is Gyanesh Kumar, the Election Commissioner picked by PM Modi-led panel". The Indian Express. 2024-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-14.