Professional Experience:
I served with distinction in the Indian Administrative Service for over 36 years, retiring in May 2025 as Additional Chief Secretary, Madhya Pradesh. A 1989-batch officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, my career reflects an exceptional blend of visionary leadership, grassroots impact, and systemic transformation across governance, infrastructure, rehabilitation and digital modernization.
Starting my professional journey as Sub-Divisional Magistrate in Alirajpur, a remote tribal district, I implemented 112 Community Lift Irrigation Schemes that brought over 2,000 hectares of hilly tribal land under cultivation. This initiative involved building stop dams, pump-based irrigation networks and farmer mobilization into beneficiary groups, transforming agricultural livelihoods while promoting sustainability and equity.
As Collector and District Magistrate of Rewa, I pioneered one of Madhya Pradesh’s earliest Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models for urban redevelopment. I led a comprehensive transformation of a congested commercial zone into a vibrant urban space with modern infrastructure- including concrete roads, office-commercial complexes, green spaces, and public amenities. This innovative PPP project was executed in a record one-year timeframe and became a benchmark in inclusive urban planning.
In the Narmada Valley Development Authority—as Commissioner (Field) and later as Member (Rehabilitation)- I handled the mammoth challenge of rehabilitating over 10,000 project-affected families (PAFs) from the Sardar Sarovar Dam submergence zone. I introduced computerized eligibility mapping, transparent land and housing allotment, real-time banking solutions and village-level site planning. My efforts were validated by an independent committee chaired by Shri V.K. Shunglu (the then CAG), enabling the dam’s height to be raised in compliance with the Hon'ble Supreme Court and NWDT award directions.
As Additional Chief Secretary (General Administration), I spearheaded one of the state’s largest digital governance initiatives- digitizing over 3 crore official records. Recognizing the limitations of OCR for Hindi, I innovated a manual tagging system to ensure document traceability and data integrity. My push for e-Office institutionalization accelerated workflow transparency, decision-making and interdepartmental coordination across government systems.
Throughout my career, I demonstrated a rare ability to integrate policy vision with executional excellence. My work reflects strong competencies in strategic planning, infrastructure delivery, talent and HR management, and citizen-centric service reforms. A firm believer in participatory governance, I actively engaged with stakeholders- be it communities, private sector partners or civil society organizations- to deliver sustainable and inclusive outcomes.
My legacy is not only in physical infrastructure and digitization but also in strengthening governance systems, enhancing institutional capacities, and fostering trust in public administration. From the grassroots to the highest levels of state bureaucracy, I remained committed to innovation, integrity and service delivery.
My administrative leadership stands as a model of result-oriented governance, deeply informed by my technical foundation as a Civil Engineering graduate from IIT Delhi and shaped by my values of fairness, innovation and public accountability.