Gujarat cadre IAS SR Rao named Union commerce secretary

SR Rao, an IAS officer of 1978 batch, who is best known as the man who transformed Surat from a dirty city into one of the cleanest cities in the country, has been appointed as the Union commerce secretary.

Rao is presently posted as special secretary in department of telecommunications, ministry of communications & IT. He replaces Rahul Khullar, who retired as commerce secretary recently, and joined as chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). 

Rao’s appointment was cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Monday.

In a career spanning over 33 years, Rao has served in several departments such as rural development, urban development, ports, health, nuclear energy, among others.

Rao has been on Central deputation since November 2008, when he was appointed additional secretary in department of information & technology, ministry of communications & IT. He was elevated as special secretary in department of telecommunications in April 2012. A Padma Shri awardee, Rao is best known for Surat’s transformation after the plague in 1994.

A host of measures were initiated when he was the Surat municipal commissioner to change the face of the Diamond City, and make it one of the cleanest cities in the country. With the country’s economy facing uncertainty on account of global woes, Rao as the commerce secretary, has the difficult job of steering the country through some tough times over the coming months.