Belonging to the Indian Administrative Service 1985 batch, has worked for 37 years covering the entire gamut of the social sector including tribal development, rural development, poverty alleviation, education and social justice. Worked for 4½ years as Secretary to Government of India heading Higher Education and the Social Justice departments. Involved in redesign of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA) by bringing in IT tools for timely delivery, improved outcomes and real-time monitoring of the programme. Promoted instruments for transparency and accountability in programme implementation including social audits. As Education Secretary, Government of India, led the preparation of the National Education Policy 2020 along with academicians and experts.