Ajay Kumar has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), taking over from Preeti Sudan, who completed her tenure on April 29, 2025.
The announcement was made official by the Union Ministry of Personnel and received presidential assent, confirming Ajay Kumar selection to one of the most influential roles in India’s civil service landscape. As the head of the commission responsible for recruiting civil servants, Kumar brings to the table a rich legacy of administrative experience, technological acumen, and policy-making expertise, which many believe will significantly shape the UPSC’s future trajectory.
Dr. Ajay Kumar is a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the 1985 batch of the Kerala cadre. Over the years, he has held a series of critical posts in both state and central government. Among his most notable roles was that of Defence Secretary of India, a position he held from August 2019 until his retirement in October 2022. During this period, he was instrumental in steering major policy reforms within the Ministry of Defence and played a key role in modernizing India’s defence infrastructure. His tenure was marked by a strong emphasis on indigenization of defence production, strategic procurement reforms, and the digital transformation of defence-related processes.
Educated at some of the most prestigious institutions, Ajay Kumar holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. He later went on to pursue higher education in the United States, obtaining a Master’s degree in Applied Economics and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota. His academic qualifications, combined with his vast administrative experience, have contributed to a multidisciplinary approach to governance, making him uniquely suited to lead an organization like the UPSC.
Over the decades, Ajay Kumar has been closely associated with several landmark initiatives in public administration and digital governance. He was a key architect of the Digital India movement, having held the post of Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. His leadership in this area helped launch and scale several transformative digital platforms, including Aadhaar, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Government e Marketplace (GeM), and MyGov.in. These platforms have since become integral components of public service delivery and citizen engagement in India, revolutionizing how the government interacts with its people.
Ajay Kumar deep commitment to innovation and transparency is likely to resonate well with the goals of the UPSC, which is facing increasing pressure to modernize its examination and recruitment processes. In recent years, there has been a growing debate over how to reform the civil services to better align with the demands of a rapidly evolving administrative environment. With his strong background in technology and policy, Kumar is expected to steer the commission toward adopting more data-driven and efficient mechanisms for candidate evaluation and selection.
Ajay Kumar appointment comes at a time when the UPSC is navigating several key challenges. These include the rising number of applicants for civil services examinations, the need for better evaluation metrics, and calls for greater regional representation in recruitment. Additionally, the commission is being urged to diversify the skill sets it looks for in prospective civil servants, including proficiency in areas like climate policy, digital governance, cybersecurity, and public health—fields that are becoming increasingly central to governance in India.
Ajay Kumar tenure as Defence Secretary was widely noted for its focus on indigenization, self-reliance, and institutional transparency. He initiated reforms that streamlined procurement protocols, enhanced public-private partnerships, and emphasized research and innovation in the defence sector. His success in managing such a complex and strategic ministry is seen as a strong indicator of his ability to helm the UPSC effectively.
