“Delhi’s charms are unpredictable. In beauty resides horror, and vice versa.”
In his literary work Dilli Se Hoon..!!, Ateesh Kumar Singh portrays Delhi not merely as a city, but as a living contradiction—chaotic yet charismatic, cynical yet hopeful, bruised yet endlessly alive.
That observation feels particularly apt for the career of Ateesh Kumar Singh, a senior civil servant who has spent more than three decades navigating India’s institutional complexities across Railways, Finance, MSME policy, and now the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
In many ways, his journey mirrors India’s own transformation: an economy simultaneously building infrastructure, digitizing commerce, empowering MSMEs, accelerating startup innovation, and redefining industrial growth.
Ateesh Kumar Singh’s Current Role at DPIIT
An Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) officer of 1994 batch, Mr Singh was appointed Additional Secretary in DPIIT in December 2025. In April 2026, he was entrusted with the additional responsibility of overseeing Startup India.
His portfolio now includes:
- Internal Trade
- E-commerce
- Startup India
- Logistics
These assignments place him at the center of India’s industrial and entrepreneurial strategy at a time when the country is positioning itself as a global manufacturing and innovation hub.
DPIIT: Where Infrastructure, Industry and Innovation Converge
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has emerged as one of India’s most strategically significant departments.
Its responsibilities encompass:
- Industrial policy and manufacturing
- Startup ecosystem development
- Ease of doing business reforms
- Logistics integration
- Digital commerce platforms such as Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)
- Industrial corridors and investment promotion
With Startup India now under Singh’s supervision, his role extends beyond policy implementation to shaping the future of India’s entrepreneurial economy.
Beyond Growth: India’s Industrial Reset
IRTS Singh’s latest book, Beyond Growth: India’s Industrial Reset, explores how India’s corporate and industrial landscape is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation.
The work argues that the next phase of India’s development will be driven not only by economic expansion, but also by:
- Ethics
- Transparency
- Accountability
- Institutional responsibility
These themes closely align with India’s evolving governance and economic priorities.
Leading PM Gati Shakti’s Infrastructure Vision
At DPIIT, IRTS Officer Singh plays a key role in implementing PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan.
This ambitious program seeks to integrate:
- Highways
- Railways
- Ports
- Airports
- Logistics parks
- Industrial corridors
Its objective is to reduce logistics costs, strengthen supply chains, and improve India’s manufacturing competitiveness.
Mr Singh heads the Network Planning Group (NPG), which coordinates infrastructure planning across ministries and departments while working closely with states, Union Territories, and multilateral institutions.
Railway Officer Who Helped Shape Modern Mobility
Before joining DPIIT, Mr Singh built an extensive career in the Ministry of Railways.
His assignments included:
- Train operations and commercial management
- Urban transport planning
- Freight and manpower coordination
- Project implementation
He contributed to the conceptualization and operationalization of India’s first single-set Vande Bharat Express trains connecting Delhi with Varanasi and Katra.
He also played a role in introducing private train operations on the Delhi–Lucknow and Varanasi–Ujjain sectors.
At the Railway Board, he led the Non-Fare Revenue Directorate, focusing on innovative revenue-generation models for Indian Railways.
Transforming India’s MSME Ecosystem
IRTS Singh’s tenure in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises established him as a significant policy reformer.
He worked extensively on:
- MSME credit access
- Technology adoption
- Innovation
- Sustainability
- Market linkages
Among his most notable contributions was leading the RAMP (Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance) programme, a World Bank-supported initiative with an outlay of ₹6,000 crore.
He also helped design nationwide green transition programs promoting:
- Clean technologies
- Circular economy models
- Sustainability-linked financing
His work with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) on decarbonization and energy efficiency further strengthened India’s climate-focused industrial policy efforts.
Digital Public Infrastructure for Small Businesses
A defining feature of Mr Singh’s career has been his focus on digital governance.
Key initiatives include:
- AI-powered Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) for delayed MSME payments
- Strengthening digital commerce systems
- Leadership of the CHAMPIONS Portal
These projects reflect India’s growing use of digital public infrastructure to improve policy delivery, inclusion, and scalability.
ONDC, Startup India and Entrepreneurial Growth
Mr Singh served on the board of Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) from 2022 until January 2026.
ONDC aims to democratize e-commerce by enabling interoperable digital networks where businesses of all sizes can participate.
Now, as head of Startup India, Singh is positioned to shape policy during a critical period in India’s innovation journey.
Architect of Startup Finance and Credit Guarantees
During his tenure in the Ministry of Finance, Mr Singh worked on several major financial initiatives, including:
- Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana
- Stand-Up India
- Startup Fund of Funds
- Credit guarantee frameworks
He also helped establish the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC), which serves as an umbrella institution for India’s credit guarantee architecture.
His work on Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) reforms strengthened access to liquidity for MSMEs and startups.
The Bureaucrat Who Writes Beyond Policy
Outside government, Mr Singh has developed a parallel identity as an accomplished author.
His books include:
- My Derailments With Truth
- Thou Stickest a Dagger in Me
- Beyond Growth: India’s Industrial Reset
He has also written extensively in The Financial Express and The Economic Times on topics such as MSME reforms, green industrial policy, receivables financing, artificial intelligence, and ethical capitalism.
Why Ateesh Kumar Singh’s Role Matters in 2026
India in 2026 is pursuing a multi-dimensional transformation:
- Expanding manufacturing
- Strengthening supply chains
- Scaling startup innovation
- Digitizing MSMEs
- Building integrated logistics networks
- Advancing green industrialization
Few administrators have worked as extensively across infrastructure, finance, MSME policy, sustainability, logistics, and digital governance as Ateesh Kumar Singh.
His cross-sector experience is especially relevant as India moves toward an economic model where manufacturing, startups, logistics, digital commerce, and sustainability are increasingly interconnected.
A Career That Mirrors India’s Industrial Evolution
In many respects, IRTS Ateesh Kumar Singh embodies the India he writes about—layered, restless, ambitious, occasionally contradictory, yet always moving forward.
From railway corridors and startup finance to digital commerce and industrial policy, his journey reflects a nation seeking to move beyond headline growth numbers toward something deeper: resilient institutions, ethical capitalism, and smarter systems.
Perhaps that is what India’s industrial reset ultimately demands—not just faster growth, but better governance.
(With inputs from TICE)
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