Keshav Chandra IAS appointed as Secretary- Ministry of Mines
Shri Keshav Chandra IAS (AGMUT 1996), presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Secretary- Ministry of Mines vice Shri Piyush Goyal IAS (NL:94) upon his appointment as Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
Shri Keshav Chandra, IAS, is a senior civil servant with a distinguished career spanning more than two decades across public administration, corporate affairs, commerce, elections, environment, urban governance, education and social sector administration. His professional journey has taken him from field-level assignments in Arunachal Pradesh and Delhi to senior leadership positions in the Government of India and the Union Territory administration of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
He served as Chief Secretary to the Government of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands from August 3, 2022, to November 24, 2024, holding the rank of Additional Secretary. During his tenure, he was responsible for the broad administrative functioning of the Union Territory, with a focus on personnel, general administration and administrative reforms. The assignment brought together his long experience in governance and institutional administration.
Shri Keshav Chandra has an impressive academic background. He completed his graduation in History with First Division. He later obtained a Master of Arts degree in Economics from Panjab University, Chandigarh. He also pursued advanced studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he completed an M.Sc. in Public Management and Governance with First Division. His academic training in history, economics and public management has provided him with a strong foundation for understanding governance, institutions, policy and economic administration.
At the Union Government level, Shri Chandra served as Director of the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. He first held the position at the level of Joint Secretary Equivalent from August 2020 to December 2021 and subsequently served as Director at the level of Additional Secretary Equivalent until July 2022. His role in the SFIO involved responsibilities related to the investigation and examination of complex corporate matters, bringing together his administrative experience and understanding of corporate governance.
Prior to his tenure in corporate affairs, he served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry from December 2017 to August 2020. This assignment provided him with extensive exposure to the policy and administrative dimensions of commerce and industry at the national level.
His career in the Delhi administration has been equally diverse. He served as Secretary in the Environment and Forest Department and was associated with the Delhi Jal Board as Chief Executive Officer. He also served as Chief Electoral Officer and Secretary in the Elections Department, handling responsibilities related to election administration and the functioning of the electoral system in the National Capital Territory.
Earlier, during his tenure in Goa, Shri Chandra held the positions of Secretary in the School Education Department and Secretary in the Women and Child Development Department. He also served as Secretary in the Environment and Forest Department. These assignments gave him experience in education policy, social welfare, environmental administration and public service delivery.
His responsibilities in Delhi included serving as Director in the Information and Publicity Department and Secretary to the Chief Minister. He also served as Additional Secretary in the Art, Culture and Language Department and Deputy Secretary in the Rural Development Department. In these roles, he dealt with public communication, cultural affairs, rural development and government coordination.
At the local governance level, Shri Chandra served as Secretary of the New Delhi Municipal Council, gaining substantial experience in urban administration and general governance. He subsequently served as Deputy Commissioner in South Delhi and North Delhi. These field assignments involved district administration, revenue matters and coordination of public services.
His early career began with service as Sub-Divisional Officer in Arunachal Pradesh, where he spent several years in field administration before moving to senior responsibilities in Delhi and the central government.
Shri Keshav Chandra’s career reflects a rare breadth of administrative exposure. From district administration and urban governance to elections, environment, education, commerce and corporate investigations, he has worked across diverse sectors of government. His academic grounding in economics and public management, combined with extensive field and policy experience, has shaped a career marked by versatility and wide-ranging administrative responsibilit
Indian Bureaucracy News wishes Shri Keshav Chandra the very best.