Sukhbir Singh Sandhu
 |
Sukhbir Singh Sandhu | |
|---|---|
| ਸੁਖਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਸੰਧੂ | |
 | |
| Election Commissioner of India | |
| Assumed office 14 March 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Arun Goel |
| Secretary to the Lokpal of India | |
| In office 5 February 2024 – 14 March 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Bharat Lal |
| Succeeded by | Pradip Kumar Tripathi |
| Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand | |
| In office 6 July 2021 – 31 January 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Om Prakash Singh |
| Succeeded by | Radha Raturi |
| Chairman, NHAI | |
| In office 28 October 2019 – 5 July 2021 | |
| Preceded by | N. N. Sinha |
| Succeeded by | Giridhar Aramane |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 July 1963 |
| Alma mater | (MBBS) Government Medical College, Amritsar |
| Occupation | Retired IAS Officer |
Sukhbir Singh Sandhu (born 6 July 1963) is a retired Indian Administrative Service officer of 1988-batch belonging to the Uttarakhand cadre. He is serving as Election Commissioner of India since March 2024.[1][2][3]
Education
[edit]He did his MBBS from Government Medical College, Amritsar. He also has a master's degree in history from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, and a law degree.
Career
[edit]Previously, he served as Secretary, Lokpal of India, from 5 February 2024 till 14 March 2024. Before this, he served as the Chief Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand from July 2021 to January 2024. Prior to that, he served as Chairman, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for about 2 years. He also served in Government of India as Additional Secretary, Higher Education, where he looked after IITs, IIMs, NITs etc.
Earlier, he served in various positions in the Government of Uttarakhand, Government of Uttar Pradesh and Government of Punjab. He worked as Secretary in several departments including Infrastructure Development, Highways, PPP Projects, Urban Development, Power, Industries, New & Renewable Energy, Finance, etc.
He served as Principal Secretary to 4 CMs from 3 different political parties, for about eight years.
In NHAI, arbitration disputes worth Rs. 30,000 Cr were resolved by conciliation during his tenure, bringing great relief to the contractors and banks. Nationwide compulsory ‘Fastag’ for Toll Collection was implemented by him, resulting in annual saving of about Rs.35,000 Cr to the nation. NHAI was made one of the most digitalised, drone monitored and portal governed organization during this period.
He had also served as Collector / District Magistrate of Haridwar, Gautam Budh Nagar (NOIDA) and Udham Singh Nagar districts.
He simplified the processes / procedures for effective delivery and found solution to many challenges.
He has interest in trekking and mountaineering and had scaled Black Peak (22,000 feet) in Uttarkashi District of Uttarakhand.
He delivered a talk on ‘De-stressing Indian Cities’ at Harvard Business School, Boston, U.S.A, on invitation.
Publications
[edit]He has published papers on 'Urban Reforms' and 'Municipal Management and Capacity Building'. He was conferred the President Medal in recognition of his services as Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, Punjab.[citation needed][4][5][6]
References
[edit]- ^ "Who is Sukhbir Sandhu, newly appointed election commissioner?". The Times of India. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "Who are new election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar?". Hindustan Times. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "Shri Gyanesh Kumar and Shri Sukhbir Singh Sandhu assumed charge as the Election Commissioners". Press Information Bureau. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ Biswas, Sayantani (14 March 2024). "Who is Sukhbir Singh Sandhu? Everything to know about new election commissioner". mint. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ "Who is Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, new Election Commissioner appointed ahead of LS polls". The Indian Express. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ Sharma, Ashutosh (15 March 2024). "Who are Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, the two new Election Commissioners? What is their political affiliation?". Frontline. Retrieved 29 November 2024.