SPDA appoints Mr. Shekhar Dutt as the Director General

Solar Power Developers Association (SPDA), the national association representing India’s upcoming solar power generators and developers, has announced the appointment of Mr.Shekhar Dutt as the Director General, with effect from March 2015.

At SPDA, Mr. Dutt will be responsible for promoting the organizational vision of increasing the focus on solar energy generation and advocating sustainable development. He will be at the forefront of drafting the industrial policies and proposals and will share his invaluable expertise on various governmental and corporate initiatives. He will also provide guidance to the team for developing the enabling policy framework and regulatory regime for the solar sector. Additionally, he will lead delegations to various Ministries and Departments of Central as well as concerned State Governments. Furthermore, he will also represent SPDA at various prestigious sessions on solar and renewable energy sector at national & international forums.

Prior to joining SPDA, Mr.Dutt was the Governor of Chhattisgarh for four and a half years since January 2010, in addition to being the Chancellor of eleven State Universities and visitor of six private universities. Before this, between 2007 & 2010, Shri Dutt also served as the Deputy National Security Advisor wherein he addressed the issues concerning Strategic Defence and National Security. He also served as the Defence Secretary, Government of India between 2005 & 2007, wherein he was instrumental in transforming the procurement policies and modernizing the armed forces. Prior to that, he was the Secreatry Defence Production, where his role encompassed overseeing and facilitating production of military land, sea and air systems. Shri Dutt has also held numerous prestigious positions during his vast career span, namely Director General at Sports Authority of India, Secretary, Ministry of Health, in the Madhya Pradesh Government, he was Principal Secretary at the Tribal Welfare, as well as Principal Secretary at Departments of School Education, Sports & Youth Welfare. Prior to that, he was Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Defence. Shri Dutt originally started his career as an army officer in 1967. Shri Dutt fought the 1971 Indo Pak War and was awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry. He has close to five decades of administrative experience and during his tenure across these esteemed positions, Shri Dutt has been propagating development across sectors.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Shekhar Dutt said, “I am happy to be associated with SPDA. It will be my endeavor to contribute towards the association’s objective of promoting solar energy as a solution for India’s energy security needs and developing this nascent sector. I look forward to working with SPDA as we embark on this exciting journey.”

Welcoming Mr. Dutt on board, Vineet Mittal, President of Solar Power Developers Association (SPDA) said, “We are extremely honored to welcome Shri Shekhar Dutt as the Director General at SPDA. We continuously strive to effectively communicate the challenges of our members and assist Indian government in fulfilling its ambitious solar target. Shri Dutt’s appointment will further help us tap the ministries towards bringing these issues in notice and increasing the usage of solar energy in India. His extensive experience of over five decades across ministries and forward-thinking outlook will help us build a strong presence and adopt best practices in this dynamic market.”

Besides SPDA, Mr. Dutt is also associated with numerous organisations and is a member of renowned national agencies. He is a member of the Executive Council (EC) of the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), Advisory Board of the Centre for Joint Warfare, Ministry of Defence, Government of India, Advisory Board of Gujarat Technical University, Ahmedabad for e- Raksha, Advisory Board of South Asia Foundation, Governing Board of the University of Engineering and Management (UEM), Kolkata. Additionally, he is also the Chairman of Angika Development Society for Education.

Given his keen interest in the field of higher education and vast experience in the defence ministry, Mr. Dutt has also authored two books in 2014, namely ‘Reflections on Contemporary India’ and ‘India’s Defence and National Security’. An ex-Chhattisgarh Governor and an IAS officer, Shri Shekhar Dutt is a ‘Development Policy and Planning’ post graduate diploma holder from University of Swansea, United Kingdom.