Chandra Sekhar Kumar is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer currently serving as the Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India.
Education & Background
Chandra Sekhar Kumar is a 1992 batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, United States. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering.
Career and Appointments
Over the course of his career, Chandra Sekhar Kumar has held various key administrative positions at both the state and central levels. In the Odisha state government, he served in roles such as Principal Secretary in the Department of Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water, and also held responsibilities in departments relating to rural development and planning.
At the central level, he has served in the Ministry of Mines as Additional Secretary, where he was involved in policy formulation and implementation in the mining sector. He was later appointed as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Education, where he oversaw programs aimed at strengthening higher education and research.
In June 2024, he assumed charge as Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs, succeeding the previous incumbent. His appointment came as part of a broader bureaucratic reshuffle approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
Key Initiatives or Focus Areas
As Secretary of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Chandra Sekhar Kumar is responsible for overseeing policies and schemes aimed at the social, educational, and economic empowerment of minority communities in India. His tenure has involved efforts to improve the implementation of scholarship programs, skill development initiatives, and community infrastructure development.
He has also been engaged in streamlining welfare schemes to enhance transparency and effectiveness, aligning them with broader national development goals.
Summary
Chandra Sekhar Kumar is a senior Indian bureaucrat with extensive experience in public administration, policy formulation, and program implementation across key sectors. Currently serving as Secretary in the Ministry of Minority Affairs, he brings with him a depth of experience from both central and state government roles, with a focus on inclusive development and institutional reform.