Mr. Manoj Kumar Das is a senior IAS Officer with over 30 years of distinguished service in public administration. A graduate in Engineering with specialization in Computer Science from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Mr. Das began his career in the Civil Services as the District Development Officer of Vadodara and has served in different districts of Gujarat in important capacities, leaving his personal stamp wherever he worked. He is currently the Additional Chief Secretary to the Hon’ble Chief Minister and has been assigned the additional responsibilities as the Additional Chief Secretary of the Ports & Transport Department. In the past, he also had illustrious stints, some of them being the Director and Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs at the Government of India, Municipal Commissioner of Vadodara and Surat, Jt. Managing Director of Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Limited (GSPC) and the Additional Chief Secretary of the Industries and Mines Department where he had introduced various reforms for which, he received various accolades . He has been felicitated by His Excellency, the Governor of Gujarat for his contribution to the rural development of the State. He has also been credited with eight national awards for his outstanding performance in his roles as the Municipal Commissioner of Vadodara and Surat.
While heading the Industries and Mines Department, he has accelerated the industrial development in the State by facilitating ease of doing business and by spearheading the launch of the Industrial Policy in 2020, which was translated into eight foreign languages to attract FDI. During his tenure at the Industries and Mines Department, he was instrumental in meticulously planning and executing the Vibrant Gujarat Summit – 2019. The summit created history as it transformed itself into a Global networking platform bringing together the who’s who of the world leaders.
The port sector in Gujarat has recently initiated visionary projects like Maritime University, Maritime cluster, the Gujarat Ports Logistics Company, greenfield port development etc. That a person with such a successful track record of enhancing ease of doing business in Gujarat has joined the Ports & Transport department at a time when the maritime sector in the state is undergoing a paradigm shift riding on the new wave of economic revival post the pandemic outbreak is indeed good news. His active involvement is expected to give a further fillip to Gujarat’s contribution in the Government of India’s initiatives like the Maritime India Vision, Sagarmala and Make in India Campaign.