Tue Feb 18 14:22:10 UTC 2025: ## Former IAS Officer Gyanesh Kumar Appointed as India’s New Chief Election Commissioner

**New Delhi:** Gyanesh Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre, has been appointed as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India. Kumar, a native of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, retired as Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation on January 31, 2023. Prior to this role, he served as Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, and Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Kumar holds a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from IIT Kanpur and a postgraduate degree in Economics from Harvard University’s Institute for International Development. He also possesses a certificate in Chartered Financial Analysis from ICFAI. His father was a doctor, and his grandfather was a freedom fighter.

He played a significant role in the 2019 reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir, serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs during the revocation of Article 370. More recently, he was instrumental in implementing the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2023, during his tenure as Cooperation Secretary. Kumar’s extensive experience in administration and policy-making makes him a notable choice for this crucial position.

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