GMDC Appoints IAS Ajay Bhadoo as Managing Director After Key Central Government Roles
Gujarat government appoints 1999-batch IAS officer Ajay Bhadoo as Managing Director of Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation after his return from central deputation.
The Gujarat government has appointed 1999-batch Gujarat-cadre IAS officer Ajay Bhadoo as the new Managing Director of Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Ltd, or GMDC. Bhadoo was recently repatriated to the Gujarat government after a significant stint on central deputation and was placed at the disposal of the Industries and Mines Department before being given his new assignment.
With this appointment, Bhadoo takes over the top administrative position at the state-owned mining corporation from Roopwant Singh, a 2003-batch Gujarat-cadre IAS officer, who had been holding the additional charge of Managing Director.
The appointment brings Bhadoo back into the Gujarat administrative setup after several years in important positions at the Centre. His central deputation included assignments covering commerce, digital public procurement, election administration and institutional governance, giving him experience across several areas of government functioning.
Ajay Bhadoo Returns to Gujarat After Central Deputation
Bhadoo’s return to Gujarat follows a series of senior assignments with the Union government. Before his repatriation, he was serving as Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce, one of the senior positions he held during his central deputation.
He was also appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Government e-Marketplace, or GeM, in March 2025. GeM is the government’s digital platform for public procurement, and his tenure there added another dimension to his administrative experience, particularly in digital governance and government procurement systems.
During his central deputation, Bhadoo also served as Deputy Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of India. Before that, he was associated with the President’s Secretariat as Joint Secretary.
His major central government assignments include:
Deputy Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India
Joint Secretary, President’s Secretariat
Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce
Chief Executive Officer, Government e-Marketplace (GeM)
These assignments have taken Bhadoo across several areas of public administration. His experience includes election administration, the functioning of constitutional and institutional offices, commerce policy, digital public procurement and broader government administration.
Ajay Bhadoo’s Experience in Gujarat Administration
A 1999-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, Bhadoo has also held several significant positions within the state government during his career. His earlier Gujarat assignments include serving as Municipal Commissioner of Vadodara, where he was involved in urban administration and municipal governance.
He also served as Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Gujarat Maritime Board, giving him experience in maritime infrastructure and development-related administration. Bhadoo has also served as Secretary to the Chief Minister, a position that placed him close to the highest level of state government decision-making and policy coordination.
His other important Gujarat assignments included Municipal Commissioner of Rajkot and District Collector of Mehsana. These roles gave him experience at both the district and urban administration levels.
Taken together, these postings have exposed Bhadoo to a wide range of administrative responsibilities, including district governance, urban management, infrastructure, maritime development, public policy and the day-to-day functioning of state government institutions.
Academic Background of Ajay Bhadoo
Bhadoo has an academic background in engineering and law-related business studies. He holds a degree in Civil Engineering, providing him with a technical foundation relevant to infrastructure and development-related assignments.
He also holds a Master’s degree in Business Law from the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru. His educational qualifications, combined with his administrative experience, have taken his career across both technical and policy-oriented areas.
His postings at the state and central levels have included responsibilities involving administration, infrastructure, commerce, digital governance and institutional functioning.
New Leadership at Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation
Bhadoo’s appointment changes the leadership arrangement at GMDC. With his appointment as Managing Director, Roopwant Singh will be relieved of the additional charge that he had been holding.
GMDC is a major state-owned mining enterprise and has an important role in Gujarat’s mineral development and industrial ecosystem. The corporation is involved in mineral exploration, mining and related activities, with minerals such as lignite and bauxite forming part of its operational portfolio.
The Managing Director’s position therefore carries responsibility for overseeing the corporation’s operations and broader organisational functioning. Bhadoo’s return to the state administration and subsequent appointment to the post comes with experience from both state government and the Union government.
His career has included exposure to several areas that are relevant to the functioning of a large government-owned enterprise. These include public policy, commerce and administration, digital governance, infrastructure, district administration and institutional governance.
Experience Across Multiple Areas of Government
One of the notable aspects of Bhadoo’s career is the range of responsibilities he has handled. His work in Gujarat included district and municipal administration, while his central deputation took him into election administration, the President’s Secretariat, commerce and digital public procurement.
As Municipal Commissioner in Vadodara and Rajkot, he gained experience in urban administration. His tenure as District Collector of Mehsana gave him experience in district-level governance, while his role with the Gujarat Maritime Board brought him into the area of maritime development and infrastructure.
His central assignments added another layer to that experience. At the Election Commission of India, he served as Deputy Election Commissioner, while at the President’s Secretariat he served as Joint Secretary.
His later roles in the Department of Commerce and at GeM involved policy, administration and digital government procurement.The GMDC appointment now brings these different strands of his career together in a major state-owned enterprise.
About Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation
Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Ltd, commonly known as GMDC, is a Gujarat government-owned mining enterprise involved in the exploration and development of mineral resources.
The corporation operates in areas including lignite and bauxite and contributes to the state’s mining and industrial ecosystem. Its activities are connected with the exploration, development and utilisation of mineral resources in Gujarat.
With Ajay Bhadoo now taking charge as Managing Director, the corporation enters a new leadership phase following the period during which Roopwant Singh held the position as an additional responsibility.
Ajay Bhadoo’s Career Takes Another Significant Turn
The appointment marks Bhadoo’s return to the Gujarat government after a substantial period of central deputation. Over the course of his career, he has worked across district administration, municipal governance, maritime development, the Chief Minister’s Office, election administration, the President’s Secretariat, commerce and digital public procurement.
His new assignment at GMDC adds the leadership of a major state-owned mining enterprise to that list. For Gujarat’s administrative establishment, the appointment also brings back a senior 1999-batch officer with experience at both the state and central levels.
Bhadoo’s immediate responsibilities at GMDC will now include leading the corporation’s administrative and operational framework as he takes over from the officer who had been managing the post as an additional charge.
