Arun Kumar Sinha (IAS)

Arun Kumar Sinha (born 14 May 1957) is a retired Indian Administrative Service officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He retired as Additional Chief Secretary, Medical Health and Family Welfare, to the Government of Uttar Pradesh. His distinguished career spanned various administrative roles in the state of Uttar Pradesh, as well as key positions in the Government of India. Sinha is recognized for his significant contribution to public administration, infrastructure development, and policy implementation.

Early life and education
Arun Kumar Sinha was born 14 May 1957. He completed his schooling from Government High School, Dhanbad. He pursued a Bachelor Of Engineering in Civil Engineering from Bihar College of Engineering, Patna (currently National Institute of Technology, Patna) in 1980. Following this, he pursued a Master of Technology in Water Resources Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT Delhi). Sinha joined the Indian Railway Service of Engineers in February 1982 and a year later he transitioned to the Indian Administrative Service in 1983, being allocated to Uttar Pradesh. He further enhanced his qualifications with an MBA from the University of Birmingham, UK, in 2002 and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Lucknow University in 2003.Additionally, he attended short-term courses in public administration at Harvard Kennedy School and Columbia University.

Career
Arun Kumar Sinha's career in public service began in February 1982 when he joined the Indian Railway Service of Engineers. A year later in 1983 he began his career in the Indian Administrative Service, serving in various capacities across Uttar Pradesh. His roles included Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Chief Development Officer, and District Magistrate in several districts such as Nainital, Gonda, Sitapur, Mau, Raebareli, Mathura, Barabanki, and Lucknow. He was instrumental in creating essential infrastructure in newly established districts and introduced weekly Janata Kutchery at the sub-district level for addressing public grievances.

Sinha also served as Commissioner in Jhansi and Faizabad, focusing on the timely disposal of revenue and criminal cases. He held key positions in various departments including Area Development, Irrigation, Housing, Planning, Program Implementation, and Medical Health and Family Welfare. He was involved in significant projects such as the USAID-funded SIFPSA health project and the World Bank-funded Uttar Pradesh Water Sector Restructuring Project. He played a crucial role in establishing the State Water Resources Agency and State Water Management Regulatory Commission.

In the Government of India, Sinha worked as Joint Secretary in the Department of Public Enterprises, where he helped finalize guidelines for Sustainable Development, R&D, and HR Management. He later served as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Labor & Employment, contributing to raising the minimum pension for Employees' Provident Fund Organisation subscribers and consolidating labor laws into four labor codes. In July 2016, he was empaneled for Secretary-equivalent post in the Government of India.

Achievements
Arun Kumar Sinha retired as Additional Chief Secretary, Medical Health & Family Welfare, Government of U.P on 31 May 2017. Post-retirement, he served as Non-Official Director on the board of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL). He was also a part-time Chairman of the recruiting board for medical posts in ESIC Medical College, Faridabad and a member of the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Service Commission (Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission) from January 2018 to January 2023, serving as its acting chairman from December 2018 to December 2019.

Notably, he introduced several innovations, such as the code number for interviews and a single preliminary eligibility test for all commission posts. He also facilitated orientation programs for students to engage with the Uttar Pradesh Global Investment Summit 2023.