Mr. Ram Sewak Sharma

(MSC/MTH/1977)

Dr. R.S. Sharma, a retired officer of the 1978 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), has had a distinguished career of over four decades serving the Government of India and various State Governments. A recognized reformer and digital governance pioneer, he most recently served as the CEO of the National Health Authority (NHA) from February 2021 to January 2023. He was instrumental in implementing the Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and in launching the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), a transformative initiative to build a digital health ecosystem for India. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Sharma played a vital role as Chairman of the Empowered Group on Vaccine Administration (EGVAC) and member of the National Expert Group on Vaccination (NEGVAC), where he led the development of CoWIN, India's acclaimed digital vaccination platform.

Profile

Born in 1955 in a small village in Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Sharma had to struggle hard to complete his early education as his village had no primary school until a few years ago. However, his zest for knowledge, especially for Science took him to the University of Allahabad where he pursued a bachelor's degree in the subject. Following it, he joined the Indian Institute of Technology in 1974 to pursue a Master's in Mathematics. In 1978, he joined the Indian Administrative Services.

Throughout his administrative career, he has held several key positions including:

From August 2015 to September 2020, he served as Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). His tenure was marked by a strong consumer-centric approach, with landmark decisions on net neutrality, data-driven regulatory reforms, crowd-sourced service monitoring, and use of blockchain for transparency. He also introduced the nationwide Wi-Fi grid and interoperable set-top boxes, enhancing telecom and broadcast services. On the global front, he contributed to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), playing a key role in international publications and frameworks such as the Digital Identity Roadmap Guide, Business Model of Telcos, and the Digital ID Toolkit, helping countries build secure digital identity systems.

Earlier, as Secretary of the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) in the Government of India, Dr. Sharma was a key driver of the Digital India mission, promoting open-source solutions and APIs, and leading the creation of platforms such as Digital Locker, eSign, eKYC, Online Reservation System (ORS) in hospitals, and Jeevan Pramaan for issuing digital life certificates for pensioners. His leadership contributed significantly to the development of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and the scaling of India's electronics manufacturing ecosystem. He also served as Chief Secretary of Jharkhand (2013-2014), where he brought innovation in governance through technology-driven improvements in land registration, urban services, and Public Distribution System (PDS). He is widely known for his groundbreaking work as Director General and Mission Director of UIDAI (2009-2013), where he led the creation and implementation of Aadhaar, now the world's largest biometric identity system, used to streamline direct benefit transfers and improve service delivery.

Dr. Sharma's earlier roles include serving in the Department of Economic Affairs (1995-2000), where he developed infrastructure financing policies for major sectors like railways, airports, and highways. Between 2002 and 2009, in Jharkhand, he headed departments including Science and Technology, Human Resource Development, Rural Development, and Information Technology. As Transport Commissioner and Director of Treasuries in Bihar, he introduced innovations like over-the-counter tax payments and early digital reforms. As District Magistrate in several Bihar districts in the 1980s, he pioneered digitized treasuries, grievance systems, and land record reforms.

Distinguished Visiting Professor at IIT Kanpur, mentoring digital health initiatives like the Health Stack, and holds memberships in the IITK Foundation for Medical Research and Technology (IITK-FMRT), DST NIDHI CoE in MedTech Innovations, Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) Advisory Council, and the International Advisory Group of COSS. He is a regular contributor to policy discourse on technology, governance, and public health.

Achievements and Honors

• Voice & Data Lifetime Achievement Award (2022)
• Economic Times Telecom Lifetime Achievement Award (2022)
• Telecom Person of the Year (Voice & Data, 2019)
• Recipient of Distinguished Alumnus Award, 2016 by IIT Kanpur.
• Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Administration, 2008.
• Author of the book titled The Making of Aadhaar: World's Largest Identity Platform