Retired IFS officer Rajiv Kumar appointed chairman of Himachal Pradesh State Selection Commission

Shimla, September 12: The Himachal Pradesh government has appointed retired IFS officer Rajiv Kumar as the new chairman of the Himachal Pradesh State Selection Commission, Hamirpur. The Department of Personnel issued an official notification on Thursday confirming his appointment. Rajiv Kumar, a 1988 batch Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer, was earlier serving as the Chief Conservator of Forests in the state. He took over as the department head in August 2023 and retired on July 31, 2024.

Apart from the appointment of Rajiv Kumar, two new members have also been included in the Hamirpur commission. The new members include retired naval officer Rupan Bembe, a resident of Summerhill, Shimla, and Sukhdev Singh, a 2005 batch HAS officer serving as Managing Director of the State Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation in Kangra. The chairman and both the members have been appointed for a term of two years.

Till now the post of chairman was temporarily held by IAS officer RK Puruthi, who was given additional charge. With the appointment of Rajiv Kumar and two members, the commission now has a fully independent leadership.

The new commission has been formed after the state government decided to dissolve the previous commission after the paper leak scandal came to light. The newly formed commission is expected to oversee recruitment with greater transparency and integrity, and address concerns arising from the previous incident.