Prashant Kumar Singh, an IAS officer of the 1993 batch belonging to the Manipur cadre, has taken over as the new Secretary in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

Singh was previously the director and CEO of Government e-Marketplace (GeM), a special purpose vehicle under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Over the last few weeks, he served as the Officer on Special Duty in MNRE before taking up charge as Secretary.

He replaces Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, who ended his tenure on September 30, 2024, having served for about two years in the position.

Singh, who holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from IIT Delhi and a gold medal in his Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Sustainable Development from TERI University, New Delhi, served two terms earlier in the government of India in the ministries of Steel, petroleum, and Natural Gas. He also served as the Managing Director of the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India.

He also held various positions in the Manipur government.

Singh has taken over as MNRE Secretary at a time when the government of India has set an ambitious agenda to install 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based energy capacity by 2030. According to information shared in Parliament, India’s installed renewable energy capacity touched 203 GW. As of June 2024, the installed solar capacity had gone up to 85.47 GW and that of wind to 46.65 GW.

The ministry also oversees the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, which aims to install rooftop solar systems in 10 million households by 2027-27.

This year’s budgetary allocation for renewable energy stands at ₹210 billion (~$2.5 billion).

In June 2024, Pralhad Joshi was appointed Minister of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in the National Democratic Alliance government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.