New Delhi: Senior IAS officer Rajendra Kumar (IAS: 1992: TN) has been entrusted with the additional charge of Secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat (ISCS) for a brief period, adding another important Central Government responsibility to his distinguished administrative career.
Kumar, a 1992-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, is currently serving as Secretary, Department of Border Management (DBM), Ministry of Home Affairs.
According to the latest government order, he will hold the additional charge of Secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat, from September 11 to September 20, 2026, during the period of absence on leave of Ashish Srivastava (IAS: 1992: MP).
The latest assignment comes at a time when Kumar is already handling the crucial Border Management portfolio at the Centre.
Rajendra Kumar to Hold Additional Charge of Inter State Council Secretariat
Rajendra Kumar will take over the additional responsibility of Secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat, from September 11, 2026.
He will hold the charge until September 20 during the leave period of Ashish Srivastava, the 1992-batch Madhya Pradesh-cadre IAS officer who is the regular Secretary of the Inter State Council Secretariat.
Kumar will continue to discharge his existing responsibilities as Secretary, Department of Border Management, while also looking after the Inter State Council Secretariat during this period.
The Inter State Council Secretariat functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs and supports the institutional mechanism for Centre-State and inter-State consultations and cooperation.
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Who Is Rajendra Kumar?
Dr Rajendra Kumar is a 1992-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre with more than three decades of experience in public administration.
Over the course of his career, he has handled a wide range of assignments at both the state and Central Government levels, with significant exposure to digital governance, information technology, social security, administration and border management.
He has reportedly held around 28 postings across state and Central secretariats during his career.
His professional journey has included assignments as a district-level administrator in Tamil Nadu, senior positions in the state government, and important roles in the Union Government.
Academic Background: Engineering, Management and MIT PhD
Rajendra Kumar has an academic background that combines engineering, management and development planning.
He studied Civil Engineering at the graduate level and subsequently pursued an M.Tech in Systems Management.
He later obtained a PhD in International Economic Development and Regional Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA.
This multidisciplinary academic background has complemented his work in areas involving technology, governance, development planning and public administration.
Kumar is also conversant with English, Hindi and Tamil.
Secretary, Department of Border Management
Kumar is currently serving as Secretary, Department of Border Management, under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
He was appointed to the position in 2024 and is handling a portfolio that involves critical aspects of India’s border infrastructure and management.
The Department of Border Management deals with important areas related to border infrastructure, technology deployment and security-oriented development along India’s international borders.
Kumar’s experience in technology and digital governance has also been relevant to the increasing use of technology in border management.
He is slated to continue in the Border Management portfolio until January 2027, according to the career information provided.
Earlier Role as ESIC Director General
Before moving to Border Management, Kumar served as Director General of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC).
He took charge as ESIC Director General on October 4, 2022.
ESIC is a major statutory social security organisation under the Ministry of Labour & Employment, providing social security and health insurance-related benefits to eligible workers and their families.
During his tenure, Kumar focused on the use of technology to improve and expand service delivery for beneficiaries across the country.
His experience in digital systems and technology-driven administration was particularly relevant to efforts aimed at improving the reach and efficiency of social security services.
Role in Digital Governance and MeitY
Kumar has also held senior positions in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and its predecessor departments.
As Additional Secretary, MeitY, he was involved in areas relating to India’s digital infrastructure and technology policy.
Earlier, he served as Joint Secretary (e-Governance) in the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY).
This was one of the significant phases of his Central Government career and reportedly became his longest continuous posting, lasting more than three years.
During this period, Kumar played a key role in initiatives associated with the Digital India Programme and the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP).
His work also included promoting localisation and the development of technology solutions supporting Indian languages.
The experience helped establish Kumar’s profile as a bureaucrat with considerable expertise in technology-enabled governance and digital public administration.
From Tamil Nadu Administration to Central Government
Before his major Central Government assignments, Kumar served in several important positions in the Tamil Nadu cadre.
His state-level responsibilities included serving as a District Collector, as well as holding roles such as Industries Commissioner & Director.
He has also served as Principal Secretary in different departments of the Tamil Nadu Government.
These assignments gave him experience in district administration, industrial development, state-level policy implementation and departmental governance before his subsequent movement into senior Central Government roles.
His career has consequently covered both grassroots administration and policymaking at the Union level.
Expertise in Digital Governance
One of the defining aspects of Kumar’s career has been his work in digital governance.
His assignments in the electronics and information technology sector placed him at the centre of India’s transition towards technology-driven public administration.
As Joint Secretary dealing with e-governance, he was associated with major government efforts to expand digital delivery of public services and strengthen the country’s e-governance architecture.
His approach has also emphasised the importance of technology being accessible to India’s diverse population, including through the development and promotion of Indian-language technologies.
Views on AI and Technology
Kumar has also emerged as a public voice on issues surrounding emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence.
He has advocated the idea of AI sovereignty for India, stressing the importance of the country developing and retaining strategic capabilities in artificial intelligence.
He has also emphasised the need for human accountability when automated and AI-driven technologies are deployed in public infrastructure and governance systems.
His views reflect the broader administrative challenge of balancing rapid technological adoption with accountability, security and public interest.
A Career Spanning Technology, Social Security and National Security
Rajendra Kumar’s career stands out for the breadth of sectors in which he has served.
His assignments have taken him from district administration and industrial development in Tamil Nadu to national digital governance, social security administration and, currently, border management.
His stint in MeitY and DeitY brought him into the country’s digital transformation efforts, while his tenure at ESIC placed him in charge of one of India’s largest statutory social security institutions.
His present role as Secretary, Department of Border Management, represents a shift towards a portfolio closely connected with national security and border infrastructure.
The latest additional responsibility as Secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat further adds to his experience at the highest levels of Central Government administration.
Latest Responsibility
With Ashish Srivastava proceeding on leave, Rajendra Kumar will temporarily oversee the Inter State Council Secretariat from September 11 to September 20, 2026.
He will perform the additional assignment alongside his existing role as Secretary, Department of Border Management.
The latest arrangement adds another Central Government secretariat responsibility to the portfolio of the senior Tamil Nadu-cadre officer, whose career has spanned district administration, state policymaking, digital governance, social security and national-level border management.
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