New Delhi:
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday revealed his intention to “detoxify” himself and spend a number of months in solitude within the Himalayas publish his retirement subsequent month.
Responding to a query whereas addressing a presser to announce the Delhi Meeting elections, he shared his post-retirement plans with an introspective contact.
“I’ll detoxify myself for the subsequent four-five months, go to the deep Himalayas, be away from the glare of all of you. I would like some ‘ekant’ (solitude) and ‘swadhyay’ (self-study),” Mr Kumar, who is ready to retire on February 18, mentioned.
In October final yr, Mr Kumar was rescued from the distant Ralam village in Uttarkhand’s Pithoragarh district following an emergency helicopter touchdown as a consequence of inclement climate and left stranded at over 12,000 toes.
Mr Kumar, a 1984-batch IAS officer from the Bihar/Jharkhand cadre, additionally shared a private aspiration to offer again to society by instructing underprivileged youngsters.
He recounted his humble beginnings, learning in a municipal faculty the place courses had been held below a tree.
“I began studying ABCD within the sixth class. We carried a slate and sat below a tree to check. As a ardour, I wish to return to these roots and educate such youngsters,” he mentioned.
Recognized for incorporating poetry into his addresses, Mr Kumar used evocative couplets to underscore his messages.
Addressing some events’ tendency to query the Election Fee’s integrity, he recited: “Aarop aur ilzamat ka daur chale koi gila nahi; jhooth ke gubbaron ko bulandi mile, koi shikwa nahi; har parinam me praman dete hain par wo bina saboot shaq ki nai duniya raunak karte hain.” This poetic plea was a name to eschew baseless accusations and recognize the clear work of the Election Fee.
In the course of the announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, CEC Kumar had quipped, “It isn’t correct accountable the EC for unfulfilled needs when one has not executed their job correctly.” Mr Kumar took over because the twenty fifth CEC on Could 15, 2022, after serving as Election Commissioner since September 2020. Throughout his tenure, he oversaw landmark elections, together with the sixteenth Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections in 2022 and meeting elections in 11 states.
Earlier than his appointment as CEC, Mr Kumar held a number of key positions, together with finance secretary and chairman of the Public Enterprises Choice Board. As finance secretary, he spearheaded important reforms, resembling financial institution mergers, recapitalization of public sector banks, and the crackdown on shell corporations.
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