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
Parliamentary Affairs Secretary of India
In office
1 May 2021 – 2 May 2022
Preceded byR S Shukla
Succeeded byGudey Srinivas
Personal details
Born (1964-01-27) 27 January 1964 (age 60)
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
OccupationRetired IAS Officer

Early life and education

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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

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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

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  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.