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 by | Anup Chandra Pandey |
| Cooperation Secretary of India | |
| In office 3 May 2022 – 31 January 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Devendra Kumar Singh |
| Succeeded by | Ashish Kumar Bhutani |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 January 1964 Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Occupation | Retired IAS Officer |
Early life and education
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
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]