Dr Srivatsa Krishna Appointed Tourism Secretary as Government Of India Reshuffles Senior Roles

Administrative Transition in the Tourism Ministry

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Dr Srivatsa Krishna as Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Dr Krishna, a 1994-batch IAS officer from the Karnataka cadre, takes over from V Vidyavathi, who has been appointed Secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Dr Krishna’s academic qualifications include a postgraduate degree in International Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, an MBA from Harvard University and a PhD in Management from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. He has also studied at Oxford University and Shri Ram College of Commerce at the University of Delhi. He is currently invited as a Distinguished Senior Fellow and Visiting Professor at Stanford University.

Over the course of his career, Dr Krishna has worked with the governments of India, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Delhi across areas including technology, e-governance, commerce and industry, health and urban administration. His previous roles include serving as Secretary, Commerce and Industry, Government of Karnataka, and Chief Executive Officer and Secretary of the Coffee Board of India. He has also worked with the World Bank Group on private capital investment projects.

During his tenure as Karnataka’s Permanent Secretary for IT, Biotechnology, Science and Technology and E-Governance, Dr Krishna led several technology initiatives. These included the Startup Warehouse and the 10K Startups programme with NASSCOM, and the i4 incentives policy, which helped attract foreign direct investment. Karnataka also secured Gold at the inaugural World Government Summit during this period. Dr Krishna contributed to the early development of India’s e-governance framework and supported the growth of Cyberabad as a technology hub.

He topped the 1994 National Civil Services Examination with an All India Rank of one and received the President’s Gold Medal. His recognitions include the World Economic Forum’s Global Leader for Tomorrow and a Thinkers50 Global Award. He is also a member of the UN Advisory Body on AI and the Harvard Business School Global Advisory Board.

Dr Krishna is expected to guide the Ministry of Tourism as the sector seeks growth, digital transformation and broader international engagement.