Raghav Chandra takes over as new NHAI chief

NEW DELHI: Senior IAS officer Raghav Chandra has taken over as the Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) today. Chandra succeeds Road Transport and Highways Secretary Vijay Chhibber who was given the additional charge of the key post in June this year for three months.

 

He is an IAS Officer of the 1982 batch Madhya Pradesh Cadre, who has held important positions in the central government and the Government of Madhya Pradesh," an official statement said.

 

 Chandra is a Post Graduate in Mathematics and also holds Post Graduate degree in Public Administration from Harvard University. Prior to his current assignment, Chandra was Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor for the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, ADF and Culture.

 

"He has vast experience in field of urban development, commerce, industry, human resource development, finance and infrastructure development. He has held various crucial assignments in roads & transport sector in various capacities," the statement said.

 

Earlier, he had established and was the Managing Director of the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation and later Joint Secretary, Highways in Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.

 

Appointment to the key post assumes significance as the government sharpens focus on augmenting infrastructure, especially building 30 km of roads a day in two years from about 15 km at present.