With an honours degree in commerce from Shri Ram College of Commerce, ICWA and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, he navigated corporate finance for three years before joining the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1990.

As a member of the Union Territory cadre of the IAS, he has had memorable stints in diverse fields across Delhi, Goa, Daman & Diu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Chandigarh, including as the Administrator, Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, where he served as the constitutional and administrative head.

He has worked in key positions at the Government of India as well - Director (Banking), Ministry of Finance, Counsellor (Economic), Embassy of India, Washington DC, USA and Joint Secretary, and then later as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

As the Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy till he retired in September 2024, he was responsible for driving India’s energy transition through massive scaling-up of the renewable energy sector. His notable accomplishments include leading the effort in achieving the milestone of 200 GW renewable energy capacity in the country, and preparing a firm track towards the 500 GW non-fossil target for 2030; launch of the National Green Hydrogen Mission, which is globally acknowledged as one of the leading policy initiatives in this emerging field, and has made a remarkable progress; launch of the ambitious PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana that has transformed the decentralized generation in India by its ambitious target, innovative technology to simplify ease of installation and access to a bouquet of useful information, and a comprehensive approach for creating an organic eco-system for rooftop solar; providing an impetus to RE manufacturing in the country, particularly solar PV capacity, which multiplied from 18 GW to about 65 GW during his tenure, growing even further at a breathless speed; and kick-starting the offshore wind development in the country.

As a Fellow Member of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India, he has been conferred with the inaugural CMA Ratna Award 2016 by the Institute for significant contribution to the cause of society and the profession as a policymaker.

He has also been conferred with the Today’s Traveller Award 2014 for Exemplary Contribution in Planning and Structuring of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.