New Delhi: Bharat Khera (IAS) has assumed charge as Secretary in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Govt of India on Friday. Prior to this appointment, he was serving as Additional Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs.
A 1995-batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service (Himachal Pradesh cadre), Khera brings over three decades of administrative experience across key roles in both the Central and State Governments.
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During his tenure with the Central Government, Khera served for more than five years as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence from November 2014 to February 2020. As Joint Secretary (Air), he handled matters related to the Indian Air Force and coordinated national ceremonial events, including Republic Day celebrations, for four consecutive years from 2017 to 2020. He also oversaw issues pertaining to the Border Roads Organisation and international cooperation within the ministry.
While serving in the Department of Defence Production, he was a member of the Board of Directors of key defence PSUs, including Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE), Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) and Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), contributing to defence infrastructure development and promoting the Make in India initiative.
Khera later served as Joint Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat for nearly two years, where he handled the Commerce & Industry and Technology verticals and contributed to strategic policymaking during the COVID-19 pandemic.
An Electronics Engineer from BITS Pilani, he holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and has completed the Advanced Management Programme in Public Policy from the Indian School of Business. He was also a Chevening Gurukul Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
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In the Government of Himachal Pradesh, Khera has held several key positions, including Home Secretary and Principal Secretary of departments such as Public Works, General Administration, State Taxes & Excise, Information & Public Relations, and Power. He also served as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and earlier held leadership roles as Managing Director of state public sector undertakings, including the State Road Transport Corporation, State Industrial Development Corporation and HPMC.
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