Alkesh Kumar Sharma, an Indian Administrative Services Officer of 1990 batch from Kerala cadre, assumed charge as the new Secretary of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) on Thursday.

Sharma has earlier served as Additional Secretary and Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat in the federal government. 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 government.

Sharma has worked as Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Limited from October 2015 to September 2019, apart from being the CEO of National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust.

Having been on a task force on programme & project management set up by government think-tank NITI Aayog, Sharma has had stints in Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for three years(2006-09) as National Project Director, Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation.

In the State of Kerala, he has held several important positions, including being the MD of Kerala Tourism Development Corporation where he played a key role in branding and promoting Kerala Tourism as ‘God’s Own Country’ during his two tenures spanning over seven years.