Rajiv Kumar, a retired Indian Administrative Service officer and the 25th Chief Election Commissioner, will oversee the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Before being appointed as Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar served as Election Commissioner. He is credited with formulating economic policies that had a positive impact on the country.
Wiki/Biography
Rajiv Kumar was born on Friday, February 19, 1960, in Uttar Pradesh, India (62 years old as of 2022). After completing his education in Uttar Pradesh, Rajiv Kumar received his Bachelor of Science (Zoology). Rajiv then studied and completed his Bachelor of Laws degree from Delhi University. Rajiv has also completed Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) from IGNOU. He later completed a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Sustainable Development at the TERI School of Advanced Studies. After completing his LLB course in 1982, Rajiv passed the UPSC examination and went on to join the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA).
family
Rajiv Kumar comes from a family in Uttar Pradesh.
Parents and siblings
There is not much information about his parents’ names or occupations.
wife and children
Not much information is available about his wife’s name or profession.
Rajiv Kumar and his wife
He has two daughters.
An illustrious career as a civil servant
1986 to 1991
After completing his training at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Administrative Institute, Rajiv Kumar served as Deputy Divisional Officer (SDO) in the Department of Land Revenue Management and District Administration from 1986 to 1988. In the same department, Rajiv Kumar was promoted as Additional District Magistrate (ADM) in 1988 and held the post till 1989. In 1989, in the same department, Rajiv was again promoted as Deputy District Development Commissioner (DDC). He continued to serve in the same department until 1991.
1991 to 1993
Rajiv Kumar serves in the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Central Government. In the ministry, Rajiv was appointed deputy secretary, National Wild Land Development Mission.
1993 to 1996
As Deputy Commissioner (DC) in Ranchi, Rajiv Kumar is posted in the Department of Land Revenue Management and District Administration.
1996 to 1999
After being promoted to deputy minister, Rajiv Kumar was appointed general manager, industries department. In 1997, Rajiv was promoted to director, after which he continued to serve in the same department till 1999.
1999-2000
Rajiv Kumar serves as Director, Personnel and General Affairs. In the department, he was appointed as Special Secretary. In 2000, Rajiv continued to serve as Director of the Primary Education Department.
2000-2001
Rajiv Kumar serves as Director, Industries Department.
2001 to 2006
Rajiv Kumar was appointed as Director, Tribal Affairs Department in 2001 under the Ministry of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Welfare and Social Justice and Empowerment. From 2005 to 2006, Rajiv served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Rajiv is also recognized for introducing the Scheduled Tribes (Reorganization of Forest Rights) Bill, 2005 and special central assistance and grants to states under Article 275(1) of the Indian Constitution. The bill improves unhindered flow of central and state government funds for planning and overall development of TSP areas.
2006 to 2008
While serving as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Rajiv Kumar was sent abroad on a special training mission.
2008 to 2012
From 2008 to 2009, Rajiv served as Additional Resident Commissioner in the Government of Jharkhand, New Delhi. There, he was responsible for the operations of the Personnel and General Affairs Department. In 2009, Rajiv was promoted to the rank of Additional Secretary and later served as Resident Commissioner, Government of Jharkhand till 2012.
2012 to 2015
Rajiv Kumar serves as Joint Secretary in the Expenditure Division, Ministry of Finance.
Rajiv Kumar and late Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
2015 to 2017
In 2015, Rajiv Kumar was promoted as Additional Secretary. After promotion, he served as Establishment Officer and Additional Secretary in the Personnel and Training Division, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. In 2017, in the same ministry and department, Rajiv was promoted to Special Secretary.
2017 to 2020
Rajiv works as a secretary in the Department of Financial Services. This department is part of the Ministry of Finance.
Rajiv Kumar as Financial Services Minister
As finance minister, Rajiv Kumar introduced many amendments to banking, insurance and pension schemes. The revision is based on the “4Rs”, namely recognition, recapitalization, resolution and reform. In 2019, Rajiv introduced the Prohibition of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act, 2019; the bill prohibited banks from forcibly depositing huge amounts of money from poor bank account holders. In addition; in order to strengthen the regulatory control of the Bank of India over multinational cooperative banks, Rajiv introduced the Banking Supervision Act. The bill aims to curb illegal and fraudulent practices by banks.
Rajiv Kumar and Nirmala Sitharaman as finance ministers
2020
Before his retirement, Rajiv was appointed as the chairman of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
Be part of a renowned institution
Rajiv Kumar has served as a member and director of several reputed institutions in India. Rajiv has served as a director on the central committee of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), State Bank of India and NABARD. He is also a respected member of the Economic Intelligence Council (EIC), Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC), Bank Board Bureau (BBB), Financial Sector Regulatory Appointments Search Committee (FSRASC) and the Civil Service Commission.
serving as election commissioner of india
In 2021, Rajiv Kumar was appointed as the Election Commissioner of India. As election commissioner, Rajiv took a tough stand against miscreants.
During Rajiv Kumar’s tenure as Election Commissioner
In 2021, he opposed a plea filed by the Election Commission of India in the Madras High Court. The plea asked the court to bar any media from reporting on the oral submissions of the Election Commission poll panel. He also objected to the European Commission not punishing political parties for flouting specific COVID 19 campaign rules. Rajiv Kumar said in an interview,
The poll panel should probably be charged with murder for failing to get all the contesting parties to observe and comply with Covid 19 norms during the assembly polls in several states. The Election Commission needs to remove all doubts about it to save Indian democracy before others start making insinuations and accusations in more amplified, exponentially derogatory terms. “
dispute
Criminal case against Kumar: Special judge suspended
In 2023, Ch Raghavendra Raju, a voter from Mahbubnagar in Telangana, filed a complaint against V Srinivas Goud, who was elected as MLA in the 2018 Telangana Legislative Assembly elections. Raju alleged that Goud manipulated his election affidavit with the help of election officials. Later, the case was transferred to the special MP/MLA court. On July 31, 2023, Special Judge Jaya Kumar directed the Mahabubnagar police to arrest Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and other officials, including Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Sanjeev ·Other officials including Sanjiv Kumar filed a case for allegedly allowing the minister to alter the affidavit after submission; however, on August 23, 2023, the Telangana High Court suspended Jaya Kumar position, citing concerns that he acted prematurely without conducting a preliminary investigation or hearing the complainant’s statement.
Facts/Trivia
- As a residential commissioner, Rajiv played a key role in the release of a JNU student who was illegally detained by Ranchi police in 2011 for marrying a non-caste. In order to stop the protests at Jinan University, Rajiv directly interacted with students and made a personal call to the Jharkhand police chief to release the girls arrested by the police.
- The incident of the residence officer speaking directly to the student surprised everyone because residence officers rarely interact with students.
- Rajiv Kumar is also recognized for formulating and implementing several successful national policies such as Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and Mudra Loan Scheme.
- Rajiv Kumar has been appointed as the Head of Transparent Personnel Management to enhance the overall capabilities and functions of NITI Aayog.
- Rajiv Kumar is passionate about trekking. He crossed several famous Himalayan passes such as Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Tibet. He also covered the passes of Sahyadri, Western Ghats and Palghat.
- In his spare time, Rajiv Kumar enjoys listening to old Indian classical songs and devotional songs. He also enjoys practicing meditation.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education