Arvind Saxena appointed UPSC chairman

Arvind Saxena has been appointed as chairman of the Union Public Service Commission, which conducts examination to select bureaucrats, diplomats and police officers, according to an official statement issued Wednesday.

Saxena will have a tenure till August 7, 2020, when he attains the age of 65 years, it said.

He has been working as acting head of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) since June 20.

President Ram Nath Kovind has cleared Saxena's appointment as the UPSC chairman, the statement issued by the Personnel Ministry said.

Saxena joined the UPSC as a member on May 8, 2015. Prior to joining the UPSC, he was working as director of the Aviation Research Centre (ARC).

A student of civil engineering from the Delhi College of Engineering and an M.Tech. in systems management from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, Saxena was selected for the civil services and joined the Indian Postal Service in 1978.

In 1988, he started working at the Cabinet Secretariat, where he specialised in the study of strategic developments in neighbouring countries.

Saxena has served in different countries and in the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

A recipient of awards for meritorious services (2005) and distinguished services (2012), Saxena has travelled extensively in India and abroad, the statement said.

The UPSC conducts civil services examination annually in three stages-- preliminary, main and interview-- to select officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others.