Dr. Dheeraj Kumar Ojha is a distinguished officer of the Indian Statistical Service (1999 batch) with extensive experience across key social and economic ministries of the Government of India, including the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence, Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation, Ministry of Health & Family welfare, and others. He is presently posted in the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG) since December 2021.

At MoPNG, Dr. Ojha plays a pivotal role in strengthening project management frameworks and driving digital transformation across large-scale petroleum and natural gas infrastructure projects. His work focuses on IT-enabled decision support systems for project implementation, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), leading to faster resolution of inter-agency issues, improved coordination, and accelerated project implementation.

Dr. Ojha has a strong interest in the application of digital technologies, data analytics, and Artificial Intelligence for evidence-based policymaking and Earned Value Management, project financing and conflict resolution. He has been instrumental in promoting data-driven governance, automation, and digital platforms to enhance transparency, efficiency, and outcome-based monitoring in infrastructure development. To further strengthen his expertise, Dr. Ojha has undertaken a Certificate in Project Management (CIPM) and is a Certified Project Manager (IPMA Level-C). He brings over a decade of hands-on experience in managing and evaluating large infrastructure projects and has authored more than 15 research articles published in reputed books and journals.

In recognition of his contributions to automation and modern M&E practices in social and infrastructure sectors, he has been conferred an Honorary Fellowship by the Centre for Excellence in Project Management (CEPM), India. He was also awarded the prestigious Digital India Award 2020 by the Hon’ble President of India for his outstanding contribution to digitalisation and dissemination of high-quality government data through Open Government Data (OGD) initiatives.