Mr. Singh had a long and distinguished career as a member of the Indian Administrative Services before his entry into politics and fiscal policy leadership. He served as Expenditure Secretary, responsible for overseeing the public financial management system in the Central Government and matters connected with state finances; Revenue Secretary, responsible for exercising control in respect of matters relating to all the Direct and Indirect Union Taxes and putting together ‘dream budget’, Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, among other senior leadership roles. As a member of the erstwhile Planning Commission, he was heading the Expert Committee on Power Sector Reforms, introduction of renewable form of energy as well as the important committee on Foreign Direct Investment to India. The responses to these recommendations opened India substantially for larger foreign equity flows. He was part of the core group of advisors and strategists during India’s economic reforms of 1991. He was principal interlocutor for negotiations with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for structural adjustments, loans and Balance of Payment support instrumentalities.

Mr. Singh brings a wealth of national and international experience to the table, having interacted closely with multilateral organizations such as the World Bank, IMF, ADB, and OECD. His early work as First Minister, Economic and Commercial, Indian Embassy, Japan (1981–85) and subsequent contributions to the international economic order were recognized by the Emperor of Japan with the award of the “Order of the Rising Sun – Gold and Silver” in 2016. The Japanese order is the second-highest civilian award accorded to people with distinguished achievements in the field of international relations, promotion of Japanese culture, development in welfare or preservation of the environment. He was the only Indian in the list of recipients of 2016 Spring Imperial Decorations.

On the academic front, he is a Member of the Governing Board of the Nalanda University and Chairperson of its Endowments Committee. Mr. Singh has been a recurring eminent guest lecturer at prestigious academic institutions and Universities like Columbia, Yale, Stanford and the London School of Economics.

Mr Singh is also a published author with several prominent books to his name. “Politics of Change”, an insight into India’s politics and economy, provides incisive insights into the realities of coalition politics and international fault lines. “Not by Reason Alone,” comments on the past and present of the politics of change and “The New Bihar: Rekindling Governance and Development”, is a collection of perceptive essays on the Bihar model of development. He has been a reputed columnist in leading Indian newspapers including the likes of Hindustan Times, Hindustan, The Indian Express, The Hindu, and Mint.

He is currently working on his Autobiography which is likely to be published in December this year which will bring out more vividly his 40 years of engagement in policy making.

Educated in the Utkal University, Bhubaneshwar; the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and Harvard University, he has served in leadership roles in a number of organisations such as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation; member of the Boards of Directors of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development; and the Exim Bank. He has also served in a number of academic institutions in board—level positions such as the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai; the Centre for Advanced Financial Research and Learning, Mumbai; the National Institute of Bank Management, Pune; the Indian Institute of Bank Management (Chairman of the Governing Board), Guwahati; and the Bankers Institute of Rural Development, Lucknow.