GUWAHATI: A panel chaired by Prime Minister Modi selected Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar as the new election commissioners on March 14.
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As per reports, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, born in 1963, is a retired IAS officer from the 1998 batch. He held various prominent positions throughout his career, including serving as the chief secretary of Uttarakhand. Prior to this role, Sandhu also served as the additional secretary in the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, and as the chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
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Sandhu completed his MBBS from Government Medical College, Amritsar, and holds a Master's Degree in History from Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar. Reports indicate that he also obtained a law degree.
For his contributions as Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation in Ludhiana, Punjab, Sandhu was honoured with the President's Medal. Additionally, he was awarded the 2001 President of India Medal for his dedicated service during the Census of India.
Meanwhile, Gyanesh Kumar, a retired 1988-batch Kerala cadre IAS officer, concluded his tenure as Cooperation Secretary on January 31 of this year. Prior to this role, Kumar served as the Parliamentary Affairs Secretary at the Centre and also held the position of Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs during the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
During his tenure, significant achievements were witnessed in the Cooperation Ministry, including the enactment of the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) (Amendment) Act, 2023. Additionally, three new national cooperative bodies—Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL), National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), and National Cooperative Export Limited (NCEL)—were established.
Kumar played a pivotal role in the successful launch of the CRCS-Sahara refund portal, facilitating genuine depositors of four Multi-State Cooperative Societies of the Sahara Group to submit their claims.
Notably, Kumar also served as Joint Secretary (Defence Production) in the Ministry of Defence from 2007 to 2012, during the tenure of the UPA government.
(With inputs from HT and Indian Express)
