Arun Kumar

Dr. ARUN KUMAR is an ex-Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1979 batch of the Jammu and Kashmir cadre. His last posting in J&K was Vice-Chairman and Director General of the Jammu and Kashmir Institute of Management and Public Administration (IMPA).

Dr. Kumar holds a graduate degree in Economics, a postgraduate degree in International Studies from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and a Ph.D. from IIT Delhi in Energy Studies.

During his over 37 years stint in the IAS with the Government of India as well as the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr. Kumar has held numerous assignments related to education, energy (both conventional and renewable), environment, rural and urban development, food and fertilizer distribution, consumer goods marketing, and anti-poverty programmes in both rural and urban areas.

Dr. Kumar is well-known for his outstanding contribution to professionalizing and modernizing the functioning of two world famous Shrine Boards viz. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) and Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB). As Chief Executive Officer of both these Shrines for over six years from May 2002 to June 2008, Dr. Kumar oversaw management of a corpus of over Rs. 500o million, the implementation of an annual budget of over Rs. 2000 million, and the supervision of over 2200 employees to optimally serve the interests of over 10 million pilgrims visiting these shrines every year. He is the one who introduced helicopter services for both these shrines and electric buses for Vaishno Devi.