Barun Kumar Ray IAS given additional charge as ACS- Tourism Dept, West Bengal
Shri Barun Kumar Ray IAS (West Bengal 1992) presently Additional Chief Secretary- Non Conventional & Renewable Energy Sources Department has been given the additional charge of the Additional Chief Secretary- Tourism Department, West Bengal.
Shri Barun Kumar Ray, IAS, is a senior Indian Administrative Service officer with an extensive career spanning nearly three decades, marked by wide-ranging experience in energy, labour administration, urban development, district governance, and public sector management. With sustained exposure to both policy formulation and field-level execution, he is regarded as an administrator who combines economic insight with steady institutional leadership.
Academically, Shri Ray holds a Postgraduate degree in Economics (Second Division). His grounding in economics has provided a strong analytical framework for handling complex portfolios involving infrastructure development, labour relations, public utilities, and fiscal-administrative coordination. This academic foundation has consistently informed his approach to governance, particularly in sectors requiring balance between growth objectives and social considerations.
At present, Shri Ray is serving as Principal Secretary / Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Non-Conventional & Renewable Energy Sources, Government of West Bengal, a position he has held since July 2024. In this role, he is responsible for steering policy and implementation in the renewable energy sector, an area of growing strategic importance for sustainable development and energy security. His leadership in this department reflects continuity of his earlier engagement with the power sector and infrastructure-driven portfolios, often tracked under Top Indian Bureaucracy News.
Immediately prior to this, he served as Additional Chief Secretary, Labour Department, Government of West Bengal (February 2023 – July 2024), and earlier as Principal Secretary to the Government, Labour & Employment Department (December 2020 – January 2023). Across these roles, Shri Ray dealt with labour welfare, industrial relations, and employment-related policy matters. His tenure coincided with a period requiring careful administrative handling of workforce issues, regulatory frameworks, and stakeholder coordination, reinforcing institutional mechanisms within the department.
Shri Ray has also served extensively in divisional administration, holding the post of Commissioner, Jalpaiguri Division, and subsequently Commissioner, Malda Division. These assignments placed him at the helm of multi-district administrative oversight, encompassing land revenue management, coordination of development programmes, and supervision of district administrations. Such roles strengthened his understanding of regional governance challenges and inter-departmental convergence.
His experience in urban development includes multiple tenures as Secretary, Development Department, and with the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, as well as additional charge as Principal Secretary to Government in Urban Development and Development Authorities. These assignments involved planning, municipal coordination, and infrastructure development in complex urban environments—experience frequently highlighted in Indian Bureaucracy Transfers News.
At the sectoral level, Shri Ray has held key leadership positions in public sector undertakings. As Chairman and Managing Director of West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL), he was directly involved in managing power generation infrastructure and organisational governance in the energy sector. Earlier, as Managing Director of the West Bengal Small Industries Development Corporation, he worked on promoting small-scale industries and enterprise support mechanisms. His role as Commissioner, Textiles Department, further added to his exposure in industrial and sectoral administration.
Shri Ray’s central deputation experience includes serving as Private Secretary to a Union Minister in the Ministry of Shipping, where he gained insight into central government functioning, ministerial coordination, and national-level policy processes. This exposure complemented his state-level administrative experience and enhanced his understanding of Centre–State dynamics.
In the early phase of his career, Shri Ray served as District Magistrate, Birbhum, preceded by postings as Additional District Magistrate and Additional Executive Officer in South 24 Parganas, and earlier as Executive Magistrate. These foundational assignments provided him with direct engagement in district administration, land revenue management, law and order, and public service delivery, forming the bedrock of his administrative capabilities.
Additionally, he has served as Officer on Special Duty to Ministers in the Home Department and Election-related assignments, reflecting the confidence reposed in him for sensitive coordination roles.
Overall, Shri Barun Kumar Ray, IAS, is viewed as a seasoned administrator with deep sectoral diversity and institutional continuity. His career progression reflects a balance of field administration, policy leadership, and public sector management. His work across energy, labour, urban development, and district governance continues to be followed through Latest Indian Bureaucracy News as consistently documented by indianbureaucracy.com, the leading reference platform for senior civil service profiles.
Indian Bureaucracy West Bengal News wishes Shri Barun Kumar Ray the very best.