Indian Army’s retired officer Lieutenant General Gajendra Joshi is the new Chairman of the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission ( ukpsc) . Alongside him, Dr. Hemchandra Pandey has been appointed as a member of the Commission. The position of permanent Chairman had remained vacant for three years (since June 2023) in the state’s Public Service Commission .
Despite being responsible for recruitment into key state services, the posts of Chairman and members of the Commission remained unfilled, which inevitably impacted recruitment operations.
It is a general impression that now, as the time for the state assembly elections draws near, long-pending official tasks are finally being completed.
Past service and honors:
The new Chairman of the State Public Service Commission, Lt. Gen. Gajendra Joshi, hails from Latoli in the Champawat district of Uttarakhand. He served as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Indian Army’s prestigious Strike-1 Corps and as the Commandant of the Infantry School in Mhow. He retired on April 30, 2026, after serving in the Army for over 38 years.
During his military career, Lieutenant General Joshi led Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka, Operation Rakshak in Jammu & Kashmir, and numerous counter-insurgency operations in Northeast India. In addition to the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), General Joshi has been honored with the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and the Sena Medal (SM).
Post vacant :
The then-Chairman of the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission, Dr. Rakesh Kumar, resigned on June 11, 2023. Subsequently, senior members Dr. Jagmohan Singh Rana and later Ravidutt Godiyal assumed responsibility as Chairman-in-charge. Most recently, senior member Anil Kumar Rana had been handling the role in an acting capacity.
