Dr. Ajay Kumar, a distinguished former Defence Secretary and 1985-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Kerala cadre, officially assumed charge as the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on May 15, 2025. The oath of office and secrecy was administered by Lt. Gen. Raj Shukla (Retd.), the senior-most member of the Commission.
Dr. Kumar brings over 35 years of extensive administrative experience at both state and central government levels. Notably, he served as India’s Defence Secretary from August 2019 until his retirement in October 2022. During his tenure, he was instrumental in significant defence reforms, including the establishment of the Chief of Defence Staff position in 2020 and the launch of the Agniveer recruitment scheme in 2022.
Beyond his role in defence, Dr. Kumar has been a proponent of digital governance. He played a pivotal role in initiatives such as Jeevan Pramaan (digital life certificates for pensioners), MyGov (citizen engagement platform), PRAGATI (Prime Minister’s interactive platform), biometric attendance systems, and the implementation of cloud-based services for government departments.
Dr. Kumar holds a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. He further pursued an M.S. in Applied Economics and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota, USA. In recognition of his contributions, he was conferred an honorary Doctor of Philosophy by Amity University in 2019.