IAS Officer Bharat Khera Takes Charge as MSME Secretary

Bharat Khera has assumed charge as Secretary in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India. A 1995-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, Khera brings over three decades of administrative experience across various departments at both the Centre and the state level.

Before taking charge in the MSME Ministry, Khera served as Additional Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs. Over the years, he has handled several important assignments linked to governance, defence, infrastructure, public administration and policy-making.

During his tenure in the Ministry of Defence between November 2014 and February 2020, Khera served as Joint Secretary (Air), where he dealt with matters related to the Indian Air Force. He was also responsible for coordinating national ceremonial events, including Republic Day celebrations, from 2017 to 2020. In addition, he oversaw issues related to the Border Roads Organisation and international cooperation in the defence sector.

Khera also served on the boards of several defence public sector undertakings, including Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited, Goa Shipyard Limited and Hindustan Shipyard Limited. During this period, he contributed to defence infrastructure projects and initiatives linked to the government’s Make in India programme.

Later, he worked as Joint Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat for nearly two years, where he handled the Commerce & Industry and Technology divisions. He was involved in strategic policy coordination during the Covid-19 pandemic.

An Electronics Engineer from BITS Pilani, Khera holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School. He has also completed an Advanced Management Programme in Public Policy from the Indian School of Business and was a Chevening Gurukul Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

In Himachal Pradesh, Khera held several senior administrative positions, including Home Secretary and Principal Secretary of departments such as Public Works, Power, State Taxes & Excise, and Information & Public Relations. He also served as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and headed state-run transport, industrial development and horticulture corporations earlier in his career.

The MSME sector contributes over 30 percent to India’s GDP and remains a major source of employment, manufacturing and exports in the country.