RS Sharma: A Propellant To Aadhar, CoWin, Ayushman Bharat Bid Adieu To Office

The chief executive officer of the government's National Health Authority (NHA), Ram Sewak Sharma, retired from his position as his tenure ended on January 31. The NHA is responsible for the functioning of Ayushman Bharat, the country's flagship public health insurance scheme.

Sharma is admired for his tech-savviness as India's digital public goods infrastructure was also built under his leadership. Even the first director general of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) was Sharma. UIDAI is the government body that operates the Aadhaar database. He encountered uphill situations during his tenure as DG with public’s apprehensions for UIDAI’s security and efficacy. Hence, the man is considered as a propellant of one of India’s most ambitious Digital India initiatives, the identification program called Aadhaar.  

RS Sharma, stepping down as the CEO of NHA conveyed, "As my tenure at the National Health Authority (NHA) comes to an end today, I am happy to share that we are set on a transformational journey in India's healthcare service delivery."

He was appointed chairman of TRAI in 2015, where he served until 2020. Then, his work also comprised of overseeing important changes in the telecom industry, such as cutting interconnection user charges by half. Sharma, as telecom regulator, ensured mobile Internet affordability to bridge the digital divide through boosting m-services. The 4G network coverage surpassed 90 per cent in the country under his leadership.

Prior to Sharms’s appointment in Trai, the bureaucrat has served as a secretary in the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), DG of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and chief secretary of Jharkhand.

The helmsman was trusted with heading a technology task force for the smooth delivery of vaccines during Covid’s havoc. He applied his Aadhaar experience to craft the CoWin application. 

Sharma spearheaded the ambitious Digital India umbrella program that intended to revolutionise the banking system with digital payments through UPI system by crafting multiple ICT-focused policies. The bureaucrat vehemently advocated data ownership, privacy and security, and net neutrality during his tenure as Trai chief.

He was reappointed as a chief executive officer (CEO) of the National Health Authority of India (NHAI) on January 1, 2021 by the central government. With his acumen, Sharma has introduced effective structural reforms in Co-WIN platform. He also led India's Covid vaccination drive, a global milestone in itself. Sharma served on the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19, a body constituted by the Government of India to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic in India.

Sharma graduated from IIT Kanpur with a master's degree in mathematics. This was followed by his joining the Bihar cadre as an Indian Administrative Service officer. Sharma took a transfer to Jharkhand with creation of Jharkhand at the turn of the millennium. He received a Masters in computer science from the US and a PhD from IIT Delhi.

Bhupendra Paintola

BW Reporters The author is Trainee Correspondent with BW Businessworld