Santosh Kumar Yadav IAS appointed as Chairman- National Highways Authority of India
Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav IAS (Uttar Pradesh 1996), presently Chairman, National Highways Authority of India, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, has been appointed as Chairman, National Highways Authority of India, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav, an officer of the 1995 batch of the Indian Administrative Service from the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has built a distinguished administrative career marked by extensive experience in infrastructure development, transport, education, urban development and district administration. With responsibilities at both the state and Union Government levels, he has worked across several important sectors of public governance, bringing together field experience and policy-level exposure.
An engineer by training, Shri Yadav holds an M.Tech. in Water Resources Development from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, where he secured a first-class qualification. His technical background has been particularly relevant to his later assignments involving infrastructure, transport and large-scale development projects.
Shri Yadav began his administrative career with field assignments as Joint Magistrate in Pratapgarh and Bareilly. He subsequently served as Chief Development Officer in Ghazipur, Kanpur Dehat, Agra and Bulandshahr, gaining early experience in development administration and implementation of government programmes. His tenure in district administration continued with assignments as District Magistrate of Pratapgarh, Lalitpur, Ghaziabad and Muzaffarpur. These field postings provided him with extensive exposure to land and revenue administration, district governance and the coordination of development activities.
His career also includes experience in the Agriculture and Rural Development Departments of the Uttar Pradesh Government. He served in various capacities, including Special Secretary and Executive Officer/Special Secretary, and worked on matters related to agriculture, rural development and public administration. He also served briefly as Private Secretary in the Ministry dealing with small-scale industries, Khadi and Village Industries, Labour and Employment at the Centre.
In Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yadav subsequently handled a range of important responsibilities. He served as Director, Mid Day Meals and Schools, and held responsibilities in Basic Education. His work in the education sector was followed by assignments in Commercial Taxes and Administrative Reforms. As District Magistrate of Muzaffarpur, he further strengthened his experience in district-level administration and disaster management.
His subsequent assignments reflected a growing focus on infrastructure and urban development. He served as Vice Chairman of the Ghaziabad Development Authority and later held important responsibilities in the Infrastructure and Industrial Development Department of Uttar Pradesh. He also served as Managing Director of a Metro Rail Project and as Chairperson and Managing Director associated with the Noida Metro Rail Project. These assignments placed him at the intersection of urban planning, infrastructure creation and large-scale public project management.
His experience in development administration also included serving as Managing Director and CEO of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority and as Additional Resident Commissioner. These positions added further depth to his understanding of industrial development, urban infrastructure and inter-governmental coordination.
At the Union Government level, Shri Yadav served as Joint Secretary and subsequently Additional Secretary in the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education. His work in the education sector at the national level gave him an opportunity to contribute to policy and programme implementation in one of the most important areas of public administration.
Since January 2023, Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav has served as Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India, at the level of Additional Secretary equivalent. The position involves responsibility for one of the country’s most significant public infrastructure institutions and places considerable emphasis on the planning, development and management of the national highway network.
With an academic background in water resources development and a career that has covered district administration, education, urban development, industrial infrastructure and transport, Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav brings a broad and varied administrative experience to his assignments. His journey from grassroots governance to leadership of major national infrastructure institutions reflects the range of responsibilities he has undertaken over the course of his career.
Indian Bureaucracy News wishes Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav the very best.