Dr. Rajiv Kumar (IAS) Elected President of Himachal Pradesh State Judo Association

Shimla, April 11: The Himachal Pradesh State Judo Association elections were successfully held at Ashiana Restaurant, Ridge Shimla, with participation from around 50 members, including district presidents and secretaries.

The election process was conducted in the presence of observers from the Judo Federation of India and Himachal Olympic Association, along with officials from the state sports department. Rajpal Chauhan served as the Returning Officer.

In a unanimous decision, Dr. Rajiv Kumar, currently Managing Director of HPTDC, was elected as President, while Surender Thakur was elected as General Secretary.

The newly elected executive body includes Pratap Singh Verma as Chairman, Bharat Bhushan Mohil as Vice Chairman, Ramesh Chauhan and Ranveer Thakur as Senior Vice Presidents, Ritik Thakur as Vice President, Vandana Bhardwaj as Joint Secretary, and Pankaj Sharma as Treasurer, along with other executive members.

The association resolved to actively promote judo across districts, schools, and colleges, and to approach the government for better infrastructure, including appointment of coaches and procurement of judo mats. The body also decided to take up pending grant issues for the years 2024–25 and 2025–26 with the Youth Services and Sports Department.

Dr. Rajiv Kumar, a 2017-batch IAS officer from Daroh, has an extensive academic and professional background, holding degrees in Psychology, History, HR, and a PhD in Business Administration. He has served in key administrative roles including Director Sports, Commissioner MC Solan, SDM Rampur, and currently heads the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation.

Beyond administration, he has a diverse profile—former media professional, national-level shooter, Limca Book record holder in memory (1996), and author of four books.