Mritunjay Kumar Narayan IAS appointed as Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner
Shri Mritunjay Kumar Narayan IAS (Uttar Pradesh 1996), presently Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, has been appointed as Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
Shri Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, an officer of the 1995 batch of the Indian Administrative Service from the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has built an extensive administrative career spanning district administration, electoral management, public works, urban development, taxation, transport, energy, public policy and senior responsibilities in the Government of India. His professional journey reflects the breadth of experience that comes from working across diverse sectors and at multiple levels of governance.
An accomplished academic, Shri Narayan holds a B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering and an M.Tech. in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, with first-class academic credentials. He further pursued an M.Sc. in Public Policy and Management from King’s College London, where he again secured first-class results. His academic profile was further strengthened with an LL.B. from Lucknow University. The combination of engineering, public policy and legal education has provided him with a broad intellectual foundation for dealing with complex administrative and policy challenges.
Shri Narayan’s career in the Uttar Pradesh cadre began with field assignments that gave him substantial exposure to grassroots administration. His early postings included Joint Magistrate assignments in Ghazipur and Saharanpur, followed by responsibilities as Chief Development Officer in Ballia, Sultanpur and Azamgarh. These assignments placed him at the centre of district-level development administration and offered valuable experience in implementing government programmes and coordinating development activities.
He subsequently served as District Collector and District Magistrate in Chandauli, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur, Sitapur, Ghaziabad and Agra. The role of District Magistrate demands a combination of administrative judgement, coordination skills and the ability to respond to diverse public needs. His experience across several districts, including major urban and industrial centres such as Ghaziabad and Agra, added considerable depth to his understanding of land administration, public order, development management and district governance.
His career also includes significant exposure to electoral administration. He served as Additional Chief Electoral Officer in Uttar Pradesh on two occasions, including a tenure at the level of Director. He also served as Secretary in the Health and Family Welfare Department and in the Public Works Department of the Uttar Pradesh Government. As Vice Chairman of the Lucknow Development Authority, he gained experience in urban planning and development administration.
Shri Narayan later took on important responsibilities in the financial and regulatory sphere, serving as Commercial Tax Commissioner and Entertainment Tax Commissioner. He also served as Managing Director and CEO of the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, bringing administrative experience to the transport sector. His tenure as Secretary to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh further exposed him to high-level policy coordination and governance issues.
At the Union Government level, Shri Narayan served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Power from August 2019 to December 2021. His subsequent appointment as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs marked his transition to senior central responsibilities. Since October 2022, he has served as Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India at the level of Additional Secretary equivalent.
The office of Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India is of considerable institutional importance, involving responsibilities connected with population data, census administration and vital statistical systems. Shri Narayan’s appointment to the post reflects the value of his wide administrative experience and his exposure to complex governance systems.
With an unusual combination of technical education, public policy training, legal understanding and extensive field and secretariat experience, Shri Mritunjay Kumar Narayan represents a broad-based administrative profile. His career has been marked by movement across sectors and responsibilities, from district administration to major state-level assignments and senior positions at the Centre. His continued contribution to public administration is expected to remain significant as he brings this wide experience to the responsibilities entrusted to him.
Indian Bureaucracy News wishes Shri Mritunjay Kumar Narayan the very best.