Matching in its focus on the 1,000-day goal set by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) to breach the $1 trillion digital economy mark and amid announcements of India’s foray into semiconductor space, the Union government while shuffling the departments of top administrators placed its bets on senior IAS officers Alkesh Kumar Sharma, secretary (Coordination), Cabinet Secretariat to take on the role of secretary in MeitY.
The Union government has set a timeline to commercially launch the first indigenous chipsets by 2023-24 under the Digital India RISC-V programme. The DIR-V initiative is part of the government’s Rs 76,000-crore ($10 billion) plan to build a semiconductor ecosystem by incentivizing companies to set up chip manufacturing and design facilities in India.
The Kerala cadre IAS officer, Sharma will now be responsible for smooth implementation of the ‘futuristic’ DIR-V initiative, that entails over $10 billion government support to all chip manufacturing and design facilities, is not new to spearhead such key projects.
Sharma had earlier served as the additional chief secretary-industries of the Kerala govt from May 2020 to April 2021. From September 2019 to April 2021 Sharma was the Managing Director of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd as well as CEO of Cochin Smart City Mission Ltd.
Meanwhile, as the Cabinet Secretariat functioning directly comes under the Prime Minister, speculations are rife that the appointment of Sharma is cleared from the top to prioritise the Centre’s Digital India drive.
Earlier in February this year, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet had elevated Sharma as the secretary (Coordination) in the cabinet secretariat. The 1990-Batch IAS officer was formerly serving as special secretary, cabinet secretariat.
Among immediate tasks as secretary MeitY, Sharma will be required to revive the much talked about 1,000-day plan, which is said to have lost much of its mojo. The recent timelines announced by the Centre to prioritise semiconductor chip manufacturing has sparked-off new excitement among the top technology players.
The Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, bullish on the Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) programme, announced that the ministry has already secured endorsements from Dell, Sony as well as ISRO and the Atomic Energy Department in support of the programme.
The MeitY’s 1,000-day agenda looks to make India a $1 trillion digital economy over the next few years. Under the programme the Union ministry is tasked to make India the largest connected nation in the world, bringing coherence into digital governance, simplifying rules and legislations for technology and social media companies, and focusing on building India’s high-tech prowess.
Meanwhile, among the other key administrative changes announced by the Centre also include appointment of senior IAS officer Gyanesh Kumar as secretary, ministry of cooperation. Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre, is currently secretary, ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
Kumar will replace Devendra Kumar Singh, who has been named National Human Rights Commission Secretary General.
While senior IAS officer Pradip Kumar Tripathi, secretary, department of personnel and training (DoPT), has been shifted as secretary, (Coordination), cabinet secretariat in place of Sharma, S. Radha Chauhan, a 1988-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre will be the new DoPT Secretary in place of Tripathi.
Further Neel Kamal Darbari, managing director, Small Farmers’ Agri Business Consortium, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, has been appointed as chairperson, National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention in the rank and pay of Secretary to the government of India.
While senior 1990-batch IAS officer Sanjay Kumar, currently serving in his cadre state of Bihar, will be new secretary, department of youth affairs, IAS officer SKG Rahate, posted as additional secretary, ministry of power has been appointed as secretary, department of justice, ministry of law & justice.
