New Delhi: Alkesh Kumar Sharma (IAS) has assumed charge as Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) in New Delhi on Thursday. He is an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer of the 1990 batch from the Kerala cadre.
Sharma has earlier served as Additional Secretary and Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat. In addition to other responsibilities given to him, Sharma was looking after the Cabinet proposals of all infrastructure, economic, finance, industry, Agriculture and allied ministries of the Central government.
Alkesh Kumar Sharma worked as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Managing Director (MD) of the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Limited (NICDC) from October 2015 to September 2019. He was also the CEO of National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT). He was a member of the Task Force on programme/project management set up by NITI Aayog.
As Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for three years (2012-2015), Alkesh Kumar Sharma (IAS) handled matters relating to National Highways Planning, land acquisition, forest and environment clearances, review and monitoring of National Highways Projects, coordination with Railways, Defence and other agencies and all matters related to toll and toll policy on the national highways. He was also Chairman of the Indian Highways Management Company Ltd. and implemented FASTag system of toll collection.
Sharma worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for three years (2006-2009) as National Project Director of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation.
In the state of Kerala, Alkesh Kumar Sharma worked as the Managing Director of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd, Kochi and Additional Chief Secretary (Special Projects-Infrastructure) and Industries from September 2019 to March 2021, where he monitored the implementation of mega infrastructure projects like Semi-High Speed Rail, Airport, Ports, Smart Cities, Multi-modal Transport Hub, Waste to Energy Projects, Kochi-Bangalore Industrial Corridor and Development of Industrial Townships and Integrated Smart Manufacturing Clusters in Kerala.
Sharma also worked as the Managing Director of Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited, Malabar Cement Limited and Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation. He has worked as Director of Kerala Tourism, and as Secretary of Industries and Investment Promotion in the government of Kerala.
Alkesh Kumar Sharma played a key role in branding and promoting Kerala Tourism as 'God's Own Country' during his two tenures spanning over seven years, in Kerala.
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