I, Dr. Rajendra Kumar, IAS, am a senior officer in the Indian Administrative Service (I.A.S.) from the 1992 batch, borne on the Tamil Nadu cadre. I am currently working as the Secretary, Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs, in the Government of India. In my current capacity, I am leading the sensitive domains of border management and coastal security in the entire country.
Prior to my current assignment, I served as the Director General of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India, where I led ESIC in its transformational mission to provide social security through quality healthcare and other benefits to the insured workers across the country. Prior to this, I worked as the Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), Government of India. At MeitY, I led the policy formulation and implementation of various schemes under the Digital India, e-governance, emerging technologies, personal data protection, cyber laws and cyber security domains in the country. I was also the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA) and supervised the activities of a large number of organizations, including the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), National Informatics Centre (NIC), Standardization Testing and Quality Certification (STQC), Digital India Corporation (DIC), and the National e-Governance Division (NeGD). I was also the chairman of the National Informatics Centre Services Inc. (NICSI).
I have also served earlier as the Principal Secretary, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Department in the Government of Tamil Nadu, where I led the implementation of various government schemes for startups and MSMEs in the state. I also worked as the Principal Secretary/Industries Commissioner and Director of Industries and Commerce, where I led the initiative for creating a Single Window Portal for MSME entrepreneurs in the state for obtaining all approvals online for starting an enterprise. I have also served as the CMD of Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT), where I led the ICT infrastructure, e-governance, ICT procurement and IT industry promotion activities within the state.
I have also worked earlier as the Joint Secretary (e-Governance) in MeitY, where I led the entire Digital India, e-governance and technology development for Indian languages initiatives at the national level and was responsible for the overall conceptualization and implementation of the flagship Digital India Programme and the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) of Government of India. Prior to my stint in the Government of India, I held various senior positions in the district and state administration in Tamil Nadu.
I have received a number of academic and professional awards at national and international levels during my career. In November 2023, I received the ‘ISSA Vision Zero Award’ for ESIC for its outstanding performance in promoting occupational safety and health and prevention in India. In December 2022, I was elected as the President of the International Section of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) on Information for Prevention. Amongst other awards, I have received the UN Public Service Award in 2014 for the Mobile Seva project conceptualized and implemented by me.
I hold a Ph.D. in international economic development and regional planning and an MCP from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, an M.Tech in Management and Systems from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, and a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. I have published a book and several research papers in international journals and regularly write articles on technology and policy in leading newspapers. I can be reached at kumarr@alum.mit.edu.
The views expressed in this blog are personal.
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