In a recent administrative reshuffle, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Dr. Srivatsa Krishna, IAS (Karnataka cadre, 1994 batch), as the new Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
Dr. Krishna takes over from V. Vidyavathi, IAS (1991 batch), who has been appointed Secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Widely regarded as one of India’s most distinguished civil servants, Dr. Srivatsa Krishna topped the 1994 Civil Services Examination, securing Rank 1 among nearly 500,000 candidates, and was awarded the President’s Gold Medal upon joining the Indian Administrative Service.
His academic credentials span globally renowned institutions including Harvard Business School, IIT Madras, Oxford University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi. He also serves as a Distinguished Senior Fellow and Visiting Professor at Stanford University.
Dr. Krishna has held leadership roles across the governments of India, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Delhi, driving initiatives in technology, innovation, e-governance, health, urban infrastructure, and commerce & industry. As Karnataka’s Permanent Secretary for IT, Biotechnology, Science & Technology, and E-Governance, he spearheaded transformative reforms, including the Startup Warehouse and 10K Startups Programme with NASSCOM, the landmark i4 incentives policy attracting large-scale FDI, and initiatives that helped Karnataka earn Gold at the inaugural World Government Summit.
He was part of the pioneering team that helped advance India’s e-governance initiatives and contributed to the development of Cyberabad as a technology hub. He previously managed global private capital investments at the World Bank Group and served as Chief Executive Officer and Secretary of the Coffee Board of India.
Honoured with global recognitions such as the World Economic Forum’s Global Leader for Tomorrow and the Thinkers50 Global Award, he has spoken at top international platforms, serves on the UN Advisory Body on AI, and is a member of the Harvard Business School Global Advisory Board.
Before taking charge of the tourism portfolio, he served in several key leadership positions in Karnataka, including Secretary for Commerce & Industry, E-Governance, IT, Biotechnology & Science & Technology, and Chairman of Urban Administration & Development. He has also held governing board positions at IIT Madras and IIM Bangalore.
With his extensive expertise across governance, technology, and international institutions, Dr. Srivatsa Krishna is poised to bring transformative leadership as India’s tourism sector gears up for a new era of growth and global engagement. His appointment is seen as a strong signal that the government intends to accelerate tourism reforms, drive digital transformation, and strengthen India’s global competitiveness in the sector. Industry stakeholders are expecting a renewed push towards infrastructure enhancement, sustainable tourism models, and policy streamlining under his leadership.
