Former finance secretary Rajeev Kumar assumed charge as the new Election Commissioner of India on Tuesday. He joined the Election Commission with Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra, ANI reported.

The Centre had appointed former bureaucrat Rajiv Kumar as the Election Commissioner in place of Ashok Lavasa on August 21.

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“The President is pleased to appoint Shri Rajiv Kumar as the Election Commissioner with effect from the date he assumes the office vice Shri Ashok Lavasa, Election Commissioner, who has resigned with effect from August 31, 2020,” the law ministry had said in a notification.

Rajeev Kumar is a 1984 batch IAS officer. He will have a five-year tenure and retire in 2025.

He was the establishment officer in the Department of Personnel and Training, before joining the Ministry of Finance.

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Kumar has been credited with bringing in key reforms in banking and bureaucracy during his stints in the finance and personnel ministries. During his two-and-a-half-year stint as the financial services secretary, several policy decisions were taken to promote responsive and responsible banking, PTI reported.

He also played a vital role in the government’s flagship schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Mudra loan scheme, the 59-minute loan scheme for the MSME sector.