Sukhbir Singh Sandhu

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sukhbir Singh Sandhu

• Sukhbir Singh Sandhu cleared the civil services examinations at the age of 25 and became an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officer of the 1998 batch of the Uttarakhand Cadre.

• During his deputation in Punjab, he served as the commissioner of Ludhiana Municipal Corporation and the managing director of the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board.

  

• In October 2014, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu was appointed as the additional secretary in the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

• He then served as the chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) from 2019 to 2021.

  

• During his tenure as the Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Nitin Gadkari praised Sandhu’s work at NHAI. Gadkari wrote on Twitter,
  

  National highways witnessed a record in awards, construction, and dispute resolution even during the challenging times of COVID-19 under his leadership. His tenure at NHAI was one of the best ever achieved, and his contribution to the construction of oxygen plants across India will always be remembered.”

• After NHAI, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu served as additional secretary at the Department of Higher Education, where he oversaw technical education.

  

• He then served as additional secretary in the Ministry of Human Resource Development and Secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs for some time.

• Various renowned Indian public sector undertakings often invite Sukhbir Singh Sandhu as a chief guest. In 2020, he was the chief guest at the India Construction Festival, which was presented by the FIRST Construction Council.

  

• On 7 July 2021, he was appointed as the chief secretary of Uttarakhand when Pushkar Singh Dhami became the Chief Minister. He served in the position till 31 January 2024.

  

• He has published papers on Urban Reforms, Municipal Management, and Capacity Building.

• In July 2023, the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami, requested Sandhu’s extension as Uttarakhand’s chief secretary from the Centre for six months.

• After his retirement, he was appointed the secretary to the Lokpal of India for a year on a contract basis. He served in the position till March 2024.

• He has wide experience in the fields of State Roads and Infrastructure development, Public Private Partnership (PPP) Projects, Finance, Urban Development, Environment, Health and Family Welfare, Tourism, Revenue Administration, Rural Development, Power, New and Renewable Energy, Information Technology, Industries, and Science and Technology.

  

• On 14 March 2024, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, along with former Indian bureaucrat Gyanesh Kumar, was appointed the Election Commissioners of India by a three-member committee headed by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. The two positions became vacant after the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey in February and Arun Goel‘s resignation in March.