Kumar was awarded two separate fellowships by the University of Minnesota. He is recognized as the distinguished alumnus by the IIT Kanpur for his professional excellence and nation-building efforts. [3][4]
He is also conferred an honorary Doctor of Philosophy by Amity University in 2019.
Appointment as UPSC Chairman
On 13 May 2025,Dr. Ajay Kumar was appointed as the Chairperson of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) by the President of India,in accordance with Article 316(1) of the Constitution of India. He assumed charge on 15 May 2025,with the oath of office administered by Lt. Gen. Raj Shukla (Retd.),the senior-most member of the Commission at the time.[5][6][7][8]
Startups,Strategy,and Thought Leadership
Kumar,a seasoned mentor to startups across various domains,founded MGF-Kavachh and raised a corpus of ₹250 crores.[9] The fund is a SEBI-approved venture capital fund and dedicated to supporting startups focused on indigenizing critical technologies and domains in aerospace,and deep tech sectors.[10]
Kumar is appointed as an advisor to the board of the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF).[11] He is Director on Board at Sify. He is distinguished visiting Professor at IIT Kanpur with Department of Management Sciences and with Department of Economic Sciences. Ajay is also non-resident Senior Fellow at Carnegie India.
He is an active writer for Indian national dailies and maintains a monthly column in Business Standard titled "Off the Grid."
Kumar's work involved setting up the defence startup ecosystem through the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) [12] program from 2017 to 2022 and advancing the Digital India initiatives. Between 2020 and 2021,he worked on policy matters to support startups in the AI,drone,and space industries,and from 2018 to 2022,he worked on enhancing the performance of Defence Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). During his tenure,the defence industry ecosystem underwent significant changes,particularly under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
As a former Defence Secretary,Kumar worked on the corporatization of the Ordnance Factories Board,a 200-year-old institution employing 80,000 people.[13] Dr. Kumar oversaw reforms,including the establishment of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) position in 2020 and the launch of the Agniveer scheme in 2022. Dr Ajay Kumar commissioned the Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Saksham,the fifth of the 105-metre Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) class. [14]
Kumar worked on initiatives related to emerging defence technologies,including cyberspace and underwater warfare,and supported efforts to enhance research and development investments aimed at strengthening defence capabilities and operational efficiency..[15]
During his tenure at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology,Dr. Ajay Kumar worked on the implementation of Digital India initiatives such as MyGov,Government e-Marketplace (GeM),Jeevan Pramaan,and Aadhaar-enabled services. He worked on the establishment of the Electronics Development Fund (EDF)[17] to support technology startups. He also worked on policy frameworks related to emerging technologies including artificial intelligence,drones,and space. During his tenure,the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) program was launched to support innovation in the defence sector.
Honours and awards
Kumar in convocation ceremony
He received distinguished Alumni award from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 2019 for the entrepreneurship excellence work.[18] Kumar is oversaw the creation of an Electronics Development Fund,which focuses on developing technology start-ups in defence sector.[19]
Ajay Kumar was named one of the top-50 effective bureaucrats in the year 2019 in a survey conducted by Asia Post for adhering to the cardinal principles of civil service that is professionalism,anonymity,integrity and neutrality.[20]
1994 –Awarded the Silver Elephant medallion by the Bharat Scouts and Guides,the highest national award of the organization,in recognition of service to the scouting movement. [21]
2012 –Conferred the Electronics Leader of the Year award for his contribution to the development and promotion of the electronics industry in India [22]
2015 –The Technovation Sarabhai Award from the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) for excellence in driving innovation and indigenous technology development in the electronics sector.
2017 –Champion of Change by the Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) for his policy leadership and support for the Indian electronics manufacturing ecosystem.
Kumar was appointed as the Defence Production Secretary by the prime minister-headed Appointments Committee of the Cabinet in November 2017,[25][26][27] he assumed office on 1 December 2017.[2] He served as Defence Production Secretary till 23 August 2019 and was succeeded by Subhash Chandra,an IAS officer of Karnataka cadre (1986 batch).[28]
Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar was assigned additional charge of Secretary,Department of Defence Production on 30th Nov 2021 and served the office till 31 October 2022.[34]
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