Bureaucrat-turned-politician Raj Kumar Singh took charge as the Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy on Thursday. On Wednesday, he was promoted from the rank of Minister of State to Cabinet Minister.
Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving him the responsibility on the occasion, Singh said, “The Prime Minister has shown a lot of faith and we will live up to that.” In his brief interaction with the media after assuming office, Singh further said, “We have achieved the electrification targets set by the Prime Minister well ahead of schedule and will try to ensure that the power and energy sector benefits reach the common man.”
Singh was rewarded for reforming the power sector in the Modi government to make India a power surplus nation. During his tenure, he managed the power grid and brought reforms in the distribution sector, which had been in debt for years.
Electricity demand in the country touched an all-time high of 197.06 GW on Tuesday. In addition, Singh also worked in the field of clean energy to promote capacity addition of renewable energy such as solar and wind. During his tenure, solar power tariff fell to an all-time low of Rs 1.99 per unit. Similarly, wind energy charges also came down to below Rs 3 per unit in auctions for projects in India during his tenure.
Singh, who has been elected twice to the Lok Sabha from Arrah in Bihar in 2014 and 2019, became the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and New and Renewable Energy in September 2017. He held both the ministries till May 2019. After being re-elected to the 17th Lok Sabha in May 2019, he retained two portfolios. In addition, he got the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship as the Minister of State.
Before becoming a minister, Singh was a member of several parliamentary committees. Singh started his career as an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer in 1974 and became an IAS officer in 1975. He was also the District Magistrate of East Champaran from 1981 to 1983 and the District Magistrate of Patna from 1983 to 1985. Director and Joint Secretary, Ministry of Defense from 1991 to 1996.
He was also the Home Secretary of the Government of Bihar from 1997 to 1999. He held the post of Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs (2000 to 2005). He was the Principal Secretary, Road Construction Department, Government of Bihar from 2006 to 2009. He was also the Union Secretary of Defense Production from 2009 to 2011. He also held the post of Union Home Secretary from 2011 to June 2013.
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