AT THE HELM
Gujarat has emerged yet again as the country's top FDI destination in FY21, accounting for about 37 per cent of India's total foreign investment inflows. The western State has lately been focusing on many new sectors, such as defence manufacturing and offshore financial activities through the GIFT City. Besides, the State's new industrial policy announced last year is looking at giving a boost to ongoing, ambitious projects, including Dholera Smart City.
Amid these developments, Dr Rajiv Kumar Gupta, a 1986-batch, Gujaratcadre IAS officer, has taken over as the Additional Chief Secretary of the western State's Industries and Mines Department. A seasoned bureaucrat with vast national and international professional experience, Dr Gupta is also managing director of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd. (SSNL).
A gold medallist with a postgraduate degree in Political Science, Dr Gupta also has a PHD in International Law. He has also done specialised courses in Law, International Trade and Environment from United Nations University and University of Melbourne. During his illustrious career, spanning over three decades, Dr Gupta has worked in various government departments, both in the government of Gujarat and the government of India. Dr Gupta has also headed foreign assignments and worked as advisor director at GAP Regional Dev Administration (UNDP) Turkey. A prolific writer, the senior officer has penned four books and authored many articles and papers.
He is known as a tough taskmaster in the bureaucratic circles because of his committed approach to getting desired results in a time-bound manner. It is this character of Mr Gupta that enabled him to steer loss-making GNFC into a profitable company during his tenure as the managing director of the troubled, State-owned chemical and fertiliser company, between 2013 and 2018.
Dr Gupta proved his mettle again when he was appointed managing director of SSNL three years ago and assigned to oversee the ambitious project of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's, world-record-breaking, 182-metre-tall
Statue of Unity built near the Sardar Sarovar dam in Kevadiya in Gujarat. True to his reputation, Dr Gupta turned the monument for the Iron Man of India into a popular tourist destination with world-class, stateof-the-art infrastructure facilities attracting a record number of people in a short span of time.
Dr Gupta's administrative skills were on full display yet again when COVID-19 struck Gujarat last year. As the State's first case was detected in Ahmedabad, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani handed over to him the additional responsibility of supervision of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation as the Officer on Special Duty. Drawing up an efficient public-private partnership, he played a key role in containing the epidemic effectively.
As Gujarat diversifies into new sectors and rolls out many pioneering projects, Dr Gupta's focused leadership could take the enterprising State to the next level of industrial and economic growth.