After 40 years of distinguished service in the Army, General Sharma was appointed Member of the Union Public Service Commission of India. As a Constitutional Authority, he presided over Interview Boards and Departmental Promotion Committees to select officers for the Civil Services. He also examined the framing and amendment of Recruitment and Service Rules and commented on disciplinary cases. He offered specific advice on examination reforms and other matters related to the development of the Indian Civil Service. With an M.Sc. and an M.Phil. in Defence Studies from Madras University, he is a widely recognised strategic thinker and defence analyst. General Sharma has been a Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi (an independent Strategic and Public Policy think tank and research initiative), and several other similar institutions like the USI (United Service Institution of India), IDSA (Institute of Defence Studies & Analysis) and CPR (Centre for Policy & Research) etc. His articles and perspective have been published in many journals and newspapers and he has also participated in numerable seminars and discussions with leading global think tanks within the country and abroad. On 4 May 2016, at a Special Convocation held in Mumbai, General Sharma was awarded Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) Degree (Honoris Causa) by Shri Jagdishprasad Jhabarmal Tibrewala University, "in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the service of our motherland, exemplary patriotism, inspirational leadership and peacemaking initiatives." The General was appointed as Governor of the State of Arunachal Pradesh in May 2013 by His Excellency the President of India and was sworn in on 29 May 2013 as the eighteenth Governor. Arunachal Pradesh is strategically located in the North East of India, and has common borders with Bhutan, China and Myanmar. After serving the state of Arunachal Pradesh for two years, he took the Oath of Office of the Governor of Mizoram, another North Eastern State sharing an international border of 722 km with Myanmar and Bangladesh, on 26 May 2015. He is married to Jyotsna Sharma (an educationist) and they have a daughter, Nupur Sharma (a writer) and a son, Abhay Sharma (an international taxation and fund formation lawyer).