NEW DELHI: Educationist Pradeep Kumar Joshi was on Friday appointed the chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which conducts the civil services examination to select the country's bureaucrats and diplomats, officials said.
Joshi is currently a member in the Commission.
He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Arvind Saxena, the outgoing chairman of the UPSC, according to an official statement.
Joshi joined the Commission as its member on May 12, 2015.
Prior to joining the Commission, he was the chairman of the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission and the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission, the statement issued by the UPSC said.
He also served as the Director of National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) here, it said.
"In his illustrious academic career, Prof Joshi taught more than 28 years at post-graduation level and held many important positions in various policy making, academic and administrative bodies, the statement said.
A specialist in the field of financial management, Prof Joshi has published and presented research papers in several national and international conferences and seminars, it added.
His tenure as the chairman of the UPSC will be till May 12, 2021, an official said.
With his appointment as the chairman, there is a vacancy of a member in the UPSC.
At present, Bhim Sain Bassi, Air Marshal A S Bhonsle (retired), Sujata Mehta, Manoj Soni, Smita Nagaraj, M Sathiyavathy, Bharat Bhushan Vyas, T C A Anant and Rajiv Nayan Choubey are members of the UPSC.
The commission conducts the civil services examination annually in three stages -- preliminary, mains and interview -- to select officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Foreign Service (IFS), among other