S Krishnan Becomes MeitY Secretary To Oversee Implementation Of Semiconductor Mission, DPDP Act

S Krishnan, a 1989 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of the Tamil Nadu cadre, has been named by the Central Government as the secretary of the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

Currently, Krishnan is serving as Chief Secretary in the Industries, Investment, Promotion and Commerce Department in Tamil Nadu. After a period of almost 12 years, he will be back on central deputation. His last posting in the Central Deputation was a foreign posting, and prior to that, he served as Private Secretary (2004–2007) to then Finance Minister P Chidambaram.

Alkesh Kumar Sharma, who superannuated on 31 August, will be replaced by Krishnan. Now, Krishnan will oversee the government’s ambitious semiconductor mission, which began when Sharma was the Secretary of MeitY. To enable the country to transform into a global hub for electronics manufacturing, the semiconductor mission aims to build a vibrant semiconductor and display ecosystem.

Also, the rollout of the recently enacted Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, which is the outcome of almost five years of drafts and consultations, will be overseen by Krishnan. There are some good features in the DPDP from a digital economy perspective, but it also has some gaps that have been identified by several legal experts

The proposed Digital India Act (DIA), which would replace the IT Act and Rules 2000, is currently being developed by MeitY. In addition to addressing cybersecurity, AI regulation, online safety, privacy, and surveillance, the DIA is anticipated to act as a companion piece of legislation to the DPDP Act. Krishnan will now be in charge of everything.