G.V. Ramakrishna

G.V.  Ramakrishna (b. 1930) started his career as a biochemist with the Rockefeller Foundation doing research in Haematology in the Bowring Hospital in Bangalore, his home town. He opted for the civil service and joined the IAS in 1952.

He did his quota of service in the state of Andhra Pradesh for nearly 13 years, ending up as Chief Secretary in 1983. At the Centre he held positions at every level, ranging from Under Secretary to Secretary.

Early in his career he went to Harvard University for his MPA (Master in Public Administration) that included a business policy course at the Business School. He studied Economics under Galbraith, Ed Mason and other notable economists of the late fifties.

In his diplomatic assignments, he was minister of econo-mic affairs at the Embassy in Washington in 1972 and was later India’s Ambassador to the European Economic Community (European Union) in 1989.

In his varied career he worked for ten years with the Finance Ministry. He also worked in the Ministries of Industry, Steel, Coal and Petroleum. He was Adviser in the Planning Commission in 1981 and Member in 1994. He was the first Chairman of SEBI and also of the Disinvestment Commission.